Ghost of Our Past
by IVolunteerAsAuthor
Summary: After an invasion that ended in a terrible loss. The political leaders in Panem are new to power, and ready to change Panem. When they get some information about their future however, everything changes. Morals will be tested, humanity exposed, and a new batch of tributes are ready to take the arena by storm.
1. The Future Tells No Lies

**So don't hate me, but I decided a number of things. The first of which being that All-Stars is now coming before chained. If I'm being completely honest though...chained was always more of a side project.**

 **Without further ado, I give you the start of All-Stars 2.0. (I'M STILL FINISHING JOURNEY TO THE TOP)**

 **This will pick up right after All-Stars 1, there will be a lot of backstory. I'll do my best to try and piece things together, but it's probably going to be easier if you just read the first one. ALSO: I recently read a story from an old user on here named** **androidilenya** **, though I've taken ONE, idea as inspiration from her story, the rest of mine is completely original, and will be original. (You should totes read hers to. It's so good. She's not on the site anymore though..)**

* * *

 _Blackbird singing in the dead of night_

 _Take these broken wings and learn to fly_

 _All your life_

 _You were only waiting for this moment to arise._

* * *

 **Rachel Callowgwey, 21**

 **President of Panem**

The stars are shining bright tonight. It's one of the rare nights in the Capitol where you can reach out and almost touch them. I loved nights like these, because Marissa and I would always lay out on the balcony and try to find the stupid constellations, and we never could.

Marissa's death is something that I will carry with me forever. Someone dying so bravely. So fearlessly taking on death. Someone that survived so much, someone that survived the 224th Hunger Games, survived a year with me at her throat, a time traveling psycho sending us forward 70 years to the future. It's safe to say that we didn't have a typical friendship. Honestly, though. we weren't typical girls.

Still though, when the moment came, she jumped in front of a bullet for me. My only regret I've ever had with me is that I didn't push her aside instead. And for the first time in three years, I'm completely and utterly alone, 70 years ahead of my time.

It's been two weeks since I became President of Panem. A new nation with new rules. We are bound by a democracy, and a government that won't have absolute power, and the fact that there will be no more Hunger Games. So far, everything has been good.

A knock on my bedroom door startles me back into the reality. I turn to see Chanel Lourd walking into the room. She is sporting her silk pink pajamas and fuzzy bunny slippers. She looks confused when she sees that I'm not in my bed, but nods in understanding upon seeing my balcony door open. She walks out onto the balcony and sits on the tanning chair next to me.

"Hello, Quasi." I don't think Chanel really ever bothered to learn the names of the people she surrounded herself with. She grew up in extremely high society in District 6, and when she won the 298th Hunger Games everyone was surprised, but her that is. She is also my Vice President.

"Chanel, always a pleasure." I say as I give her a nod and then look back up at the stars.

She looks up at the sky with me and chuckles to herself. Looking over at me, she grabs my hand and gives me a gentle squeeze.

"Quasi, who would have thought that we'd be here. Running a country, staring at the stars, tolerating each other."

Who would have thought indeed. I'd like to take a minute to point out that not only is Quasi not my name, but it's short for Quasimoto. She says that I have a big forehead. Chanel might not be one for political correctness, but at the same time, she has a massive social media following that shows us so much about the country.

"I don't know, Chanel." This is honestly such a weird feeling that I'm not sure I'll ever get used to.

A green light appears in my room and both me and Chanel are staring at a blonde woman of about 40 years of age. She is very beautiful with blue eyes and long blonde hair, and a body of a freaking super model.

"RACHEL! CHANEL!" said the woman as she runs to the balcony and stands over us.

Now, stand in front of a trained killer, and normally you end up, well, dead. However I see something on the girl that strikes a memory. There is a scar on her elbow in the shape of a really obscure square.

"Star?!" I say staring at her. She was the winner of the 300th games. The last games that there was ever supposed to be. She's currently in a different part of the world, the Australian version of Panem, and promoting democracy. She's also only 18 there. We've sent her out as our Secret agency to work on those countries from the inside out. She mask herself as our ambasador.

"What is going on-" asked Chanel as she stares at the woman that is placed before her.

"Girls, I don't have a lot of time to explain. I'll explain on the way, follow me."

"Wait!" I say. There is so much wrong with this picture. For starters, I don't know if 40 year old Star is someone I want to trust, and I'm President of a nation now. I can't just walk around town in my pajamas. I didn't even do that when I wasn't President.

"You'll explain now." I tell her.

"Good to know you don't change, Rachel." she says as she throws her hands up in the air in a frustrated tone. "Listen closely, because I'm only saying this once. Panem is in chaos. I'm Star from 20 years in the future, I took the time machine watch from Mihael after Calliope killed him 20 years ago-"

"Calliope killed him 2 weeks ago." says Chanel.

"Time travel, airhead. Keep up." says Star, "The country is a mess. People are rioting, banks are being robbed, they're trying to take you down, Rachel."

"What do I do that's so bad?" I ask shocked as I stare at Star in shock.

"You didn't display a strong sense of power. Competitors have tried to rise against you, and while you consistently receive the popular vote in the election primaries, there are other leaders rising up. They'll stop at nothing to get the power. Now will you come with me?"

She grabs hold of Chanel's and my hands. The green light that we saw in the room while stargazing moments before surrounds us, and we are suddenly moving through a green blob. I've only ever time traveled once, when Calliope sent Marissa, Addison, and I to the current time period. I didn't like it then, and I don't like the feeling now. Something about the way your stomach feels as you travel through the years, just makes me want to vomit. I suppose it's something you have to grow acquainted to.

We appear at a graveyard that is lined with cobblestone graves. Walking along, I see all sorts of names on the graves. "Thomas Dekker, a loving husband and father", "Elena Marinov, our love is eternal", "Marissa Vixon, The best damn person in the whole world".

I pause, and drop to my knees. It's her grave. The one she picked when she went into the games for the 224th year. I can't help but chuckle to myself as I remember her talking about it before the invasion.

"If I die in this damn thing, I better get my tombstone." she said. So, of course, we had to give it to her.

"Rachel. Come on, you're coming." says Star as she lifts me up and drags me behind a large tombstone that read, "Peter and Elle Coin, forever in the heart of our district." We crouch behind one of the three angels that are lining the top of the grave and watch as an older me approaches the grave of Marissa.

"Oh my gosh. Quasi, those wrinkles!" says Chanel as she looks at me with her eagle eye, "AND ARE THOSE GREY HAIRS!?" she whispers harshly.

"Shut up, Chanel!" says Star as she gives her a rude look from the side. She's perfected the "mom eye" in the last 20 years. She has to have children.

"Did I, like, do something to hurt you?" asked Chanel upset.

"We'll talk about it later." says Star.

We watch as older Rachel, or older me, approaches the grave. She gets down on her knees and begins to sob. She brushes her once brunnette hair, now streaked with grey, out of her face, and throws her head up.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way." Older me says as she pulls out a tissue and wipes her eyes, and the mascara that is streaming down her cheeks. "Sometimes I wish that I could bring you back, and you could help me. You were always so much stronger than me. Always so much braver."

Older me runs her hands along the words on Marissa's grave. Her hands are trembling, and I want to go over and give myself a hug, but something tells me Star wouldn't allow that.

"Obsidian is gaining power. The districts are slowly leaning towards him. He'll ruin everything. He's going to be the end of this country if I don't find a way to get rid of his armies that he's building, he'll overtake me. I just have to find a way to-"

We are interrupted by the sound of gunfire, and a bullet flying through older Rachel's head. She falls to the ground with blood drenching out of her skull as I sit there with my hands clasped over my mouth. What the hell just happened?!

"Girls, this is where we leave." says Star as she grabs our hands, and the green light is once again surrounding us.

When we arrive back at the room I fall to the floor. I can't breathe. I just watched myself die. I went to twenty years in the future and just watched myself die.

"What the hell was that older slightly uglier Star Fire?" ask Chanel

"That's the future that both of you will face if you don't do something to change it. To show that you're in charge, and that no one is going to take it away from you."

"What do you suggest Star?" I ask finally able to slow my breathing down.

"Ladies, we need to reintroduce the Hunger Games."

* * *

 _G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S_

 _First class, up in the sky._

 _Drinking Champagne, living the life._

* * *

 **Chanel Lourd, 20**

 **Vice President of Panem**

Quasi and I sat down and begin to write down rules and regulations for what these games would consist of. We were really skeptical at first, not only because we know what the games do, and how horrible they are. We were skeptical because how do we get voted in, and then do exactly what we said we wouldn't? Daddy would call that politics, I suppose.

Future Star Fire, which pisses me off because she's still absolutely gorgeous, sometimes pops in from the future to see how we're doing. She won't tell us what's changed, but we know something has. Sometimes we can make a rule, and she'll come in peasant clothing, and other times we can cross one off and she returns to normal. How do we change the future, without changing it drastically?

"So the games are going to consist of previously reaped tributes. Meaning they've already competed in games like Star did when she won. I just don't like that some kids will be brought back just to die again."

"Let's make it where they are all trained then." I say. "If we can get ahold of Brendan, he can make another time machine, and through that can't we just make them babies again? Raise them for ourselves and train them. Even shots for everybody."

I'm not the dumb girl that everyone thinks I am. I'm pretty, but to be honest, that doesn't equate stupidity. Plus, it'll be nice to hear from crusty old grandpa. With him being in the picture again, it'll almost be like we have the gang back together, it's almost easy to forget Marissa is gone.

"What if Brendan can't create the time machine. He's not the crazy teenage prodigy engineer from district 1 anymore. He's old. Like really old." says Rachel

"Well, we will have to wait and see, but the fact still remains that it should happen if it's possible."

"I agree, I like the idea of them all being the same age, and having the same skill set."

"Make it happen, Quasi." I say as I get up and don't bother pushing my chair in. My strut out of the room is interrupted by Rachel clearing her throat. I pout and roll my eyes as I turn around. "What?!" I say upset.

"You'll be the one making the announcement." says Rachel.

"Fine." I say as I pull out my phone.

"You're not posting it on social media." says Rachel annoyed. "This is a presidential matter. You'll handle it responsibly."

"You're no fun!" I say as I turn around and walk out of the room. I open up the Panembook on my phone and click the status update option.

" _Omg guys,"_ I begin to type out onto the phone. " _You have no idea what's coming!"_

 **-6 months later-**

Time machines are built thanks to the help of crusty old man. Now, we just need to bring in the tributes. By the looks of it, we have a big crowd. We don't know how they're going to respond to this, but we hope it's a positive manner.

"Citizens of Panem," I say typing the microphone that stands in front of me. "It is I, your Vice President Chanel Lourd. Here to make a very important announcement."

The audience gets quiet as I can hear my voice echo even more loudly throughout the square in the Capitol building. Everything is so tense, you could probably hear a pen drop.

"Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we have had to make some adjustments in our law system. We will be reinstating the Hunger Games."

The crowd turns from quiet, to uproar in a matter of seconds. People are trying to riot in front of the stage as peacekeepers hold them off. The Capitol has never been more displeased about news that they have just heard in the entire time that I've been here.

"Wait. Let me explain!" eventually after about 10 minutes of trying to get them to settle down, they do.

"We will be drawing from a pool of already dead tributes. To make it fair, we will bring them back in time to when they were infants. They will train together, grow together, and they will eventually be in the games together. We are doing this to show that though we are still a nation that is merciful, we mean business. To, further make things fair, two Capitol infants will be reaped and placed into the training with the other tributes. This isn't up for discussion. That is all."

I walk off the stage to the entire Capitol up in arms, but there isn't anything I can do about it at this point. It's already decided upon. We will not end up pawns to someone named Obsidian. I thought we just got rid of an evil two faced predatory wench, and now we have to go back and do it again? Why can't it ever just be easy.

"You did good, Chanel." says Rachel as she stands behind stage. Something about her has changed. She's harder since the incident and seeing her own death. She's stern, and cold.

"Thanks, Quasi." I say, "Let's go plan an arena."

 **Form is on my page. I'm really excited for this story. It'll be my last ever. (Or at least for awhile.) I'll be accepting forms for this story until May 15th, then I'll make my final choice. YOU CAN CREATE A DEAD TRIBUTE, OR YOU CAN SEND IN A PREVIOUSLY DEAD TRIBUTE. I'll accept either, and I won't be biased. Just write the created dead tribute as if you were writing their story.**

 **Let me know what you think, and always…**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	2. Trainer Introductions: Iris Dupree

**So now that Journey to the Top is officially on it's last two chapters, it was time to update this story. I'll have short intros to the trainers coming to you this week. Up first, meet Iris.**

 **Still needing submissions…**

* * *

 _I heard you cry,_

 _I watched you die,_

 _Every night in your sleep._

 _I was so young,_

 _you should have known better_

 _than to lean on me._

* * *

 **Iris Dupree, 28**

 **District 2**

 **Victor of the 290th Games**

All of these channels have the same thing on them. How many different ways can you show a Doctor that gets their life ruined on a regular basis? I'm beside myself with thoughts. The television is supposed to be the thing that numbs your mind, and keeps you from thinking about things to hard. And when I'm able to think, I travel back to one thing.

How dare they?

Did these girls not travel back through time, space, and whatever the hell ever to stop things like the Hunger Games? Did they not lose someone in the process, and then stop the Hunger Games because it was "wrong" and an "injustice"? What do they think they're trying to pull reinstating them? Dead tributes or not, I hate this idea. I hate them. I can't believe we elected that monster into po-

A knock at the door pulls me away from my thoughts. Good, I didn't need to feel that anger. It was beneficial when I was in the games, but now it just makes for bad manners. As I've grown older, I realized a number of things about myself.

One of them being I'm my own worst enemy.

I open the door and see Chanel Lourd standing on my porch. She smiles brightly as I slam the door back into her face.

"I want nothing to do with you, Chanel." I say as I reach down and lock the door.

"Iris, we need to talk, and I think you'll like what I have to say."

"I won't like what you have to say because I don't like you. Leave my property."

It's silent for a minute. I wait by the door and see if she walks away, but it isn't long before I hear her take a deep sigh in and knock again.

"What part of "go away" don't you get?" I ask.

"Iris, don't make me do it." she says.

"You're going to have to if you want in my house." I say.

I hear a foot stomp and sharp intake of breath as the girl on the outside of my door is clearly frustrated. She knocks one more time in hopes that she won't have to pull the card she's about to, but I refuse to open the door for anything less.

"As Vice President of Panem, I command you to open your door."

I roll my eyes and unlock the deadbolt. Not bothering to actually open the door I let her stroll in. She's wearing a white scarf over her blonde hair with a white romper. She has a pair of white heels on as well, with a golden necklace that dips to her mid stomach. Her black purse, and sunshades are the stand out of her outfit. She rolls her eyes upon seeing me and walks straight to the couch.

"It's not even your property. If it wasn't for the Victor's Protection Act, you wouldn't have this lovely house. So technically it belongs to me."

"Cool, you can have it back." I say as I walk over to the living room area and sit on the couch opposite of Chanel. "I would offer you some sort of refreshments, but I'm hoping you won't be here long."

She rolls her eyes as she opens her purse and takes out a packet of paper and lays it before me. I don't bother picking it up, because honestly I don't care what it is. I'm not signing it.

"Aren't you going to read it?" she ask

"No." I say with a shrug.

"Fine, then let me read it to you." she says as she picks it up from the table. "By order of the President Rachel Callowgwey, Iris Dupree is hereby charged with a task of highest honor. Watching and training the tributes from infancy into the time of their 18th Birthday where they will enter the games-"

"Absolutely not."

She sits the paper down and sighs as she stares at me in the face. You can see that she isn't happy about this situation either, and I actually start to feel for the girl. She's just as trapped as we are in this. We are under a new dictator.

"You don't have to be the Vice President." I tell her.

"I've already been recruited. It comes down to the fact that we need a combat and strategic expert. You're the best, Iris. No one comes close to your record of kills per game. 9 kills is an outstanding number."

I flinch thinking about the lives I took in those games. Cara was first. She was a 14 year old from District 5. Followed by Ezeikel of District 7, a 16 year old. Lorenzo was a 13 year old from District 3. Emily the 18 year old from 12. Yael from District 6, she was 12. Micah the 18 year old from 1. Chantelle the girl from 1, also 18. Henery from District 8, he was 15. Then Micah, my district partner.

"I'd rather not think of those who I've destroyed, Chanel."

She leans back in her chair and crosses her legs. She flips through the pages until she reaches the last six pages and reads off a list of benefits if I were to take the job. They include insurance, a brilliant salary, vacation days, and even holidays off.

"I'm still not interested." I say.

"I was afraid you would say that."

She turns to the last page, and on it reads out the terms if I deny the contract. I'd lose my house, lose my income, I wouldn't be able to reside in the Capitol...who does this President think she is? She gives me no choice, while disguising it as giving me one.

"She wants the best, Iris." says Chanel as she smiles lightly to me. "You're the best."

Is my morals really worth all of these benefits? The old Iris would say, yes. The Iris before the games would be all over this. More glory for her. More time for her to be in the spotlight. To look around at all of the people of Panem and say, "Here I am! Notice me!".

I'm not that girl anymore though. I'm a 28 year old woman who has had to live with her past for 10 years now. Looking back, I would never want to train someone to do what I was trained to do. Killing people for sport isn't a game. A game is supposed to be fun, leave you feeling rewarded and happy. I felt broken after my time in the arena. I felt used.

But where would I go?

I have no family. They all abandoned me after winning. After seeing the bloodlust in my eyes. I haven't seen them for years. I don't have many friends, just other Victors. After hearing that I'm in bad with the new President though, they're bound to not help me.

I'm officially stuck between a rock and hard place.

Chanel takes a pen and slides it over to me. It's a bright pink pen with flowers on it, and the pen ink smells like the perfume she uses. She takes the packet and flips it to the very back page, and right under the terms for denying the contract, is a place for me to sign.

I take the pen and click it, and sign my name to the contract. Chanel sighs in relief and signs the witness lines under it.

"I'm glad you made this choice. I didn't want to have to take you down." she says.

"I just signed my soul over to the devil. I'd like to spend my last few weeks alone if you will."

She gets up and nods and wraps her head in the scarf. Placing the sunglasses on her face, she opens up my door and glances back at me. She gives me a light smile that says she's sorry without using words, and she exits the house.

"Well, Iris," I say out loud. "If you weren't going to hell already. You sure are now."

I guess I haven't changed from the girl that won the games 10 years ago.

 **What did you think of Iris? She'll be a fun mentor to hear about later. I have two new people, and then I'll have some back up prologues ready to go until I get a completed tribute list.**

 **If I don't have enough submissions in each spot by the 15th, I'll be extending the story deadline to the 20th. Form and submission list is on my profile.**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	3. Trainer Introductions: Mackenzie Barrows

**I love this character, just thought I would throw that out there.**

 **Also, still needing submissions...please send me some dead tribs.**

* * *

 _Everything is great,_

 _Everything is grand._

 _I got the whole wide world in the palm of my hand._

* * *

 **Mackenzie Barrows, 23**

 **District 3**

 **Victor of the 295th Games**

Living in the Capitol isn't so bad. Everything is pretty tame actually compared to life down in District 3. I know this might throw some people off, but there is a pretty wild party crowd down in the good ol' D3.

Not that I was apart of that though. Growing up in the family I did makes it hard to join that scene. My dad was the mayor of District 3, and growing up in that environment was a huge lesson on navigating your social life. It's actually how I won the games. That's right, I have ZERO kills.

Almost unheard of right? Well, it's simple, I knew who to align with, and when to pull the plug. What I lacked in ability to kill and weaponry, I made up for it in my ability to strategically place myself in a needed position in any alliance. I was the cook, the guard, the organizer, the distraction. Whatever they needed I became. Through that I made it all the way to the end. I have a likeability rate of 94% which is unheard of for someone with no kills.

My phone buzzes, and I look down to see a text message from Huckleberry Jenkins. He lives three houses down in the Victor suburb that we have going on here. He's very handsome, and very flirty. Just the type of boy my mother always told me to watch out for...but it's really hard when he's pursuing you so hard to say no!

 _What are you wearing?_ The text message asked with a winky face after it.

 _A chastity belt._ I type to him. _Huck, we've been over this._

It takes him not even two seconds to respond back to me with a horny remark.

 _Macks, waiting until marriage is boring. We could have so much fun!,_ followed by a stream of winky faces.

 _Huck, end of discussion. You want this? Put a ring on it._

He stops replying and I grab my journal off the bedside table. I've kept a detailed account of everyday since leaving the games. I could have potentially missed so much had the games done me in like predicted. I don't want to miss a single thing since Lady Luck smiled on me in that arena.

I open to the next clean page, and am about to press the pen down to the paper when a knock at my door fills the room. I wasn't expecting anyone today, and it's probably Huck trying to seduce me into giving something up. Not today Huckleberry, not today.

I get up from my bed, and march down the hallway with an aggressive speed. I get to the door and take a deep breath before clicking the lock and opening the door.

"Huck, I told you that I will not slee-" I pause and turn bright red as standing before me isn't Huckleberry, but Chanel Lourd. She is sporting a red cocktail dress with a matching scarf around her blonde locks. The red lipstick she is wearing is making her black sunshades pop, and her black shoes are to DIE for. She has the best fashion sense, I swear.

"Ms. Lourd!" I say smiling brightly. "How nice to see you! Come in, please!"

She gives me a peculiar look as she steps into the living room of my home. She takes the scarf off her head as I close the door, and then cross over to the couch and invite her to sit down.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods?" I say.

"You're too bubbly, and it honestly frightens me." she says, slowly approaching the couch. "I'm going to call you Elf. Because you're short, and your ears are kind of pointy."

"That's so cute!" I say smiling even bigger. I didn't realize I was on good enough terms with the Vice President to get nicknames!

"I'll never understand your high popularity rate." she says as she pulls a packet of paper out of her purse and slides it on the table. Intrigued, I pick it up and begin looking at it.

 _By order of the President, Rachel Callowgwey, Mackenzie Barrows is hereby charged with a task of the highest honor. Watching and training the tributes from infancy into the time of their 18th birthday where they will enter the games, Ms. Barrows also has the important task of teaching them social strategies for the games._

"Woah." I say looking astonished at this paper. Me? Out of all the Victors in this neighborhood...I was chosen as a trainer. I wasn't even trained myself. "I don't know what to say."

"Say yes, Mackenzie. It's also a bonus, but Huckleberry will be joining us." she says with a sheepish smile. "Think of all the time you get to spend with him."

I blush. I hope my crush isn't entirely to obvious. I mean, not that I like him, like him. I don't like, not like him? I don't know what we are, or even what I want. What I KNOW I don't want is 26 new children.

"This just seems like a lot of responsibility that I don't know if I'm ready for." I say. I try not to smile in gratitude for being considered, because I want her to know that I'm serious. No means no this time.

"Mackenzie, I think this goes without saying, but she wants the best. Look at your track record. Your following competes with even that of my own. That's a huge accomplishment in itself." says Chanel as she crosses her legs, and leans forward. "I'm not saying that this is going to be easy, but think of how rewarding it's going to be."

"We'll be raising 26 children, and on their 18th birthday they'll enter a game where 25 of them die."

She pauses and makes a face. "Okay, fair enough. One comes back though. What if that's one in your group? What if you get to watch this child grow up, and then watch them become something more than even they could have imagined for themsevles?" she says making it sound more exciting than it actually is.

"I just-"

"There is also a very heavy penalty for not agreeing to these terms. Like losing this home provided by the Capitol, losing your insurance, and income. Losing everything. You'd have to go back to District 3 and work your way for a living."

"That's not too bad, Chanel. My Dad is a mayor. I could just stay with him, and my mom runs her own-"

"Look, we need you. Not someone else in this neighborhood. You. You're the only one with the right amount of social knowledge to navigate these kids in the most effective communicative ways possible. I can't do that, Iris or Huckleberry can't do that. Mackenzie...we need you."

She gives me a pleading look, and I'm feeling cornered. At this point, what is actually the harm of taking on this job. At the same time though, it's like being a Mom to 26 children, and I'm not even married yet. I don't know if I'm going to be able to get attached to these kids, and then just watch them die…

"Chanel,"

"Please." she says earnestly. "You have me begging. Chanel Lourd doesn't beg. Especially to little Elfs who she secretly will probably hate later, but that's okay cause she hates everyone." She widens her eyes and raises her eyebrows. "What I'm trying to say, I don't ask twice. Don't make me take you down, because let's face it. You know I can do it."

She slides me a fluorescent pink pen with blue flowers on it. I pick it up, and it smells like lilacs! She has the coolest stuff! I click it and look down at the dotted line with my name printed under it. All I have to do is sign.

"And if I want out in the middle of the process?"

"No can do. It's Rachel's way or the highway. I'm not even allowed to back out."

I click the pen, and without really knowing why I sign the papers. She takes the packet back and signs where it ask for a witness and then smiles brightly at me. "Well, elf girl, it'll be a pleasure working with you over the course of these next 18 years. See you in 2 weeks."

"That soon?!"

"The rejuvenation process happens then. We'll be drawing for names."

She wraps her head in the scarf and places the sunglasses on her face. She is getting ready to walk out when I grab her by the arm and stare at her with a horrified expression.

"Are they going to remember they died?"

"No." she says solemnly. "They won't."

With that, she walks out the door.

 **BET YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU'D SEE ME SO SOON.**

 **What did you think of Mackenzie? Do you prefer Macks or Iris? (I like them both.)**

 **Finished the blog, that is without tributes right now, because I'm currently waiting to get the tributes submitted. :D**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	4. Trainer Introductions: Huck Jenkins

**Look for a very important announcement at the bottom of this chapter. Also, this is going to be full of innuendos. I promise that, I myself, am not a overly perverse person. I would also like to say, I will never write Smut..so don't expect to see it in the chapters.**

* * *

 _You're so damn pretty_

 _If I had a type then baby it would be you_

 _I know you're ready_

 _If I never lied then baby you'd be the truth_

* * *

 **Huckleberry Jenkins, 24**

 **District 10**

 **Victor of the 294th Games**

"Huck, are you going to join me?" says my latest conquest as she makes her way to the shower.

"You know I'm always down for some good clean fun." I say with a wink as I grab her sides and she laughs as I tickle her. We make our way to the shower, and we are just about to go in, when there is a knock at the door.

"This better be important." I say as I lean my head against the glass of the shower door. Brittany, or it might be Cara? Anyways, whatever her name is climbs in and kisses me on the lips.

"Hurry back." she says as she plants another kiss on my neck. This better be _hella_ important.

I wrap myself in a towel and walk to the door, and open it to see Chanel Lourd, the new Vice President of Panem. I can honestly say that I didn't vote in the election. I didn't care enough to.

"Huckleberry, who is it this time?" she says as she slams her purse into my hands and walks through the door. She is wearing a bright pink romper with a scarf covering her hair. She has a pair of white sunglasses, and a pair of pink shoes to go with the outfit.

"I thought that was you walking down the street yesterday. What brings you to the commoners section, Ms. Lourd?"

She struts to the couch and sits down as she takes off her scarf. She gestures for me to come and sit down on the opposite couch, but instead I go and sit next to her. She turns to me and gives me an eyebrow raise.

"Did you come back for more of the Huckle-loving?" I ask with a seductive tone.

"Please." she says with a natural snark in her voice. "We happened one time, and I was drunk, and 16. You obviously weren't very memorable because this is the first time we've seen each other since then. So no, I think it's safe to say that I'm here for something a little bit more serious."

"I'm all about serious, baby." I say

"Seriously disappointing." she says with a smile. "Now, do I have to sit here all day and verbally destroy you? Or are you going to fester down and allow me to do my job?"

I sit back and roll my eyes. Now I remember why I avoided her. Girl is hot, but a serious superiority issue comes with that. Not a trait that makes me want to get my rocks off if you know what I mean.

"I guess lay it on me." I say.

She rolls her eyes and hands me a packet of papers. I look at it, and it's stamped with the Presidential seal, so it must be really important.

 _Blah, blah, blah. Huckleberry Jenkins, blah, blah, blah, training tributes. Blah, blah, blah 18 YEARS?!_

"Hell no." I say handing her the packets back. "No way in any alternate or current universe would I EVER do that. Never ever."

"Huckleberry, you could lose your bachelor pad if you don't."

"Sweetheart, with a body like mine, I don't need the government to pay for a bachelor pad. I'm in high demand."

"Huck," she says as she sets the packet aside and scoots closer to me. I don't know what game she is playing, but I like where it's going. "You just need to relax a little." She kisses me on the lips, and I kiss her back. She runs her hand through the back of my hair, and she has my full and undivided attention.

She pulls away midkiss and sits back, and I lean in for another one, but she turns her face. She holds the packet to me, and smiles innocently. Now I'm just turned off.

"Real classy, Chanel."

"Huck, we need you. I don't know how else we need to say this. Rachel won't take no for an answer. We already have Iris and Mackenzie. With the edition of you and me, we can make the strongest career tributes that have ever competed."

"I'm not dad material, Chanel." I say dismissing her claim. I hear the shower in the other room turn off. I completely forgot about Brittany, or Cara?

"Look at it this way." she says as she turns to face me again. "Don't you want to be a part of something more than just being a man whore? Huck, there is more to life than just hoeing yourself out. You have to know that right? You can change history, the world, you can make one of the strongest tributes to ever play."

"Chanel, I won my games because I was the only tribute who knew how to make a decent campfire."

"That's why we need you as our survival expert."

I lean my head back and then cock my head to the side. I see the girl who I was spending my "special time" with leaving the house with a nod in my direction. Chanel glances over her shoulder and scoffs. "You can do better." she says as soon as the door closes.

"It's not about the beauty of the object, but how hard you had to work to get it."

"Well, then let's put it this way. Imagine all the girls that you'll get to kanoodle with because you'll be a even bigger celebrity than you are now. Not to mention Mackenzie will be with us. I know how much you love the innocent nerdy types."

Chanel is saying all the right things. Honestly, this could be a really great opportunity. What could a guy like me though have to offer these kids other than how to build a fire? The truth is, I'm not role model material. I never have been, and never will be. Even before the games, I was always getting into trouble. I don't know if this is the smartest move from Rachel.

This could be a smart move for me though. I could grow up. I could get to know people for who they are, and not just what they can provide me with. Ha, who am I kidding. I'll always want sex. Mayne though, with this sudden charge of responsibility being thrust at me I can make it mean something.

"Chanel, I can't believe I'm doing this." I say as I grab the packet of papers from her, and click the pen that she had out on her lap. I sign my name to the document, and she signs where her name should be on the witness part. She smiles as she stands up and begins to pack her things.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay and chat for a little while longer?" I ask with a wink and a grin.

She chuckles to herself and she gets close, and leans into me. Her face gets super close to mine, and I think I am about to seal the deal, when she pulls apart from me.

"See you in two weeks, Huck." she says with a kiss on the cheek, as she walks out the door.

Damn, this is going to be a long eighteen years.

 **With that, that's the last of the trainers introductions.**

 **So obviously the tribute list won't be coming out tomorrow, I've changed the date to Wednesday May 18, 2016. I also decided on a new rule.**

 **Your submission doesn't have to be a already dead tribute. That's right kids, if you want to send me a complete new one, then go right ahead. Just be detailed in the form about deaths and the game that they died in. I trust that this will make it a little easier, as people that actually finish SYOT's are a rare breed.**

 **Hope to see some awesome tributes.**

 **Also! Justafantasea has an SYOT out called "I". She's super talented, and she needs tributes as well. So make one for me, and then go and do one for her.**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	5. Tribute Reveal

**Don't just scroll to the bottom. Read this chapter. It explains a lot.**

* * *

 _I'm in the business of misery,_

 _let's take it from the top._

 _She's got a body like an hour glass,_

 _ticking like a clock._

* * *

 **Chanel Lourd, 20**

 **Vice President of Panem**

 _Today is the day._

I can't believe that 18 years of my life is about to unfold today. By the time this is over, I'll be 38. That's well past my peak. I've had to stay strong so these other people would believe me that this is a great opportunity, but the truth is I don't know.

 _I don't know._

For the first time in my life, I am unsure. Walking into the Hunger Games 2 years ago was difficult. I was from an outlier district, but once I saw the people that were with me I calmed down. I knew I had that in the bag. The girl from District 6 that shocked the nation.

This I don't know. This is something that is new. I'm going to be a Mom technically. Rachel has it all planned. Iris and Huck will get 6 tributes each. Mackenzie and I will be the group with 7. We will live in separate houses, and each tribute will share a room with a counterpart. From there, everyday will be training once they reach the age of 5. On weekends they will have downtime where they can just be children.

They won't remember their past. How fortunate.

We don't even know who we are getting until we see the tributes in our designated rooms. Rachel is having us draw slips currently. The strips will say the gender, and the name of the district the tribute is in she hand picked for this games.

"Are we ready?" I ask.

Everyone gives me an unsure look. Mackenzie looks petrified. She wasn't sure to begin with, but now everything is coming into fruition.

"And we'll have nannies and night nurses right?" ask Huck as he opens the door the four of us have been standing in front of for five minutes. None of us moved. Ironic that four people who won the games can't face children.

"Yes, you'll have two until the kids are potty trained. Then one once they've grown older."

Walking into the room makes my heart beat faster than a drum. Sitting inside of the room is a single wooden table. It's rounded, and on the sides of it there are four chairs. In the middle of it is a hat, and there is a note next to it.

I walk to the table and pick up the note. It's from Rachel.

 _Chanel,_

 _Make sure you do this fair. No peeking. I have cameras._

 _Thank them for their help_

 _Xoxo_

 _Rachel_

"Not like we had much of a choice." says Iris as she reads over my shoulder. We take our seats around the table and stare at each other.

"I can't do this." says Mackenzie as she tries to get up from the table. Huckleberry grabs her hand, and squeezes it.

"We're all scared." he says.

"Let's make a pact." I say.

They all look at me with with anticipation. I realize that, for the first time, I realize what we are. Victims. Not in the sense that something tragic has happened, because nothing has yet. At the end of 18 years though, not one of us is going to be left unscarred.

"We train them together, and we train them as a family." I say.

They all stare back like that's the stupidest thing that they've ever heard in their life.

"Hear me out," I say. "I want these kids to have the most normal lives imaginable. They need friends, and if we want these games to be semi humane, these kids have to know each other. We'll treat the training like a school. They're travel in a single class, and then at the end of the day go home. Poisons and Defensives first period, Social and Alliances next period, Combative and Strategic, and then Survival."

Iris nods her head in agreement. I know that if I have her, the rest will follow. She's the rock of this group that holds them together.

"Most importantly though, we need to let them know what it is they're being trained for." says Mackenzie. "I can't imagine them reaching eighteen, and then having to just go into the arena."

"I agree, let them form their bonds outside of the arena, and that way they're more sure fire to help each other when going gets rough. I know only one is coming out, but I don't want them to be monsters." says Iris.

"Any kid that comes out of this game is going to be a monster. They outlasted their friends, and if we do what we agreed to just now, their family." says Huck.

Another five minutes go by until an avox walks into the room. He is carrying another note from Rachel.

 _I can't reap the Capitol tributes until you draw._

 _Mackenzie and Huckleberry need to be here to get them._

 _Hurry,_

 _Rachel_

"Well, we better get a move on." I say with shaky voice.

With trembling hands, I reach into the hat and pull out the first slip. I look at the district and the gender, and take a breath. Six more to go.

* * *

 _Hello, my name is Regret._

 _I'm pretty sure we have met._

 _Every single day of your life._

 _I'm the whisper inside, that won't let you forget._

* * *

 **Rachel Callowgwey, 21**

 **President of Panem**

Walking into the hospital today is awkward. All of these mothers know exactly why I'm here today. Today is the happiest day of their lives, and for two mothers, this will be the saddest.

I'm not heartless. I know that this seems messy, and if I'm being honest I am being selfish. This country doesn't need another cold dictator. I didn't want to be that. We had the Snow legacy for almost a century, followed by the psycho bitch Calliope, and now me.

To be the President people need though, sometimes you have to make hard calls. Reinstating the Hunger Games is one of them.

"Miss. President!" says the nurse who sees me approaching the front desk.

"Hello. I had asked for a list of all the babies that were born on this day?"

"Yes, Dr. Ragdale went one step further and put them in a bowl already. They're ready for the reapings."

"Oh, thank you." I say. I was just planning on closing my eyes and pointing at a name on list.

"Miss. Callowgwey, those moms are in emotional states." she says.

"I know. I'll be gentle." I say

Walking into a room with thirty mothers that just had their babies is scary. Walking into a room of thirty newborn mothers and taking away two babies? That's terrifying. President or not, these mothers are hormonal and emotional.

"Hi, I know this is something that is going to be hard." I say once I reach the center of the room. Mackenzie and Huckleberry roll the bowls over to me.

"I'm not going to try and tell you this is easy. I won't sit here and try and make light of your pain. I know what you're feeling. I do however have to carry this out. Mackenzie. Can you hand me a slip?"

Mackenzie gives me a look, and then takes a deep breath in. You can read every emotion on her face as she digs into the bowl and pulls out a slip. She brings it up to her face, and looks out at the audience. Then closes her eyes.

"I'm so sorry." she says as tears start to well up in her eyes. She hands me the slip and in a loud voice, I read out the name.

"Jade VanBelle."

A woman wails as from the third row on the female side. She is screaming and gripping her child for dear life. When the nurses come to take the child away, she tries to fight them, and then she ends up having to be sedated. The nurses bring the baby to Mackenzie and she holds her still. The baby is crying, but Mackenzie gets her calmed in no time. The mother's of the other female potential tributes all exhale deeply and get up to leave.

Huckleberry turns to hand me a slip from the boys section. He doesn't dig, he doesn't bother trying to pick the one most deserving. 15 innocent names rest in his bowl. He picks the one on the very top and hands it to me. With a sympathetic look to the mothers, he takes a deep breath.

"Caius Sevara."

Similar to the first mother, this one tried to fight off the nurses as well. She screamed and shouted, but this one didn't go down without a fight. When the needle came, she knocked the nurse over, and made a run for it.

She was stopped by the Doctor, and the baby was taken and handed to Huckleberry. The nurses with the sedation comes up behind her and sticks her, and she eases down into a sleep.

I begin to walk out of the room with Huckleberry and Mackenzie behind me. We are making our way down the main hallway, when a man is walking towards me with a rapid pace. Something like this for normal people would just make them tense. I was trained, and won the Hunger Games, and this is a red flag.

Upon approach, he pulls a knife out of his pocket and swings it at me. Instincts take over, and I flash back to the games, to the invasion, to Marissa's death. I disarm the man and slam the knife into her head. He goes down. He had a hospital bracelet on, and looking down I read the name "Victor VanBelle".

"Oh my gosh." says Mackenzie.

"Holy shit." says Huckleberry.

I take a deep breath and try to fight off the tears that are welling up in my eyes. I can't seem weak. I can't seem like I'm not made for this. I look over to the nurse and clear my throat.

"Clean this up." I say.

I step over the dead man's body, and begin my walk to the car waiting for me at the front of the hospital.

* * *

 **You jerks skipped down to the bottom didn't you? Jokes on you. It's all on the blog. :D**

 **For those who didn't make it, I'm so sorry. I got a lot of tributes, and I had to pick. There was 26 spots open. For those of you who did get in, thank you for your work.**

 **Blog reviews are always appreciated btw..I worked hard on this one. Groups and tributes are on separate pages. There is also a page to see what Huck, Rachel, Mackenzie, Chanel and all the other important people's faceclaims.**

 **Goophg . weebly . com**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	6. Tribute Introductions: Honora and Orion

**Hi ladies and gents. So how I'm doing tribute intros is a little different. I'll be doing it by the groups. So first is Chanel, then Iris and so on. They will also be different ages as the groups move on. Chanel's group will be 5 years old. You'll experience their first year of training. Iris' group will be introduced at 10, Mackenzie's at 12, and Huck's at 16. Keep in mind that the tributes are young right now, so they won't be the psychos you saw in their other stories right yet. Just glimmers of who they were in those games will show up.**

 **Without further ado, your first tributes.**

* * *

 _How will I know if there's a path worth taking?_

 _Should I question every move I make?_

 _With all I've lost, my heart is breaking_

 _I don't wanna make the same mistake_

* * *

 **Honora Cashmere Flloyd**

 **Reawakened Tribute #1**

 **Chanel's Group**

Bright white lights flood my eyes, and I can't see a thing. I hear voices, but it's hard to make out what they're saying. It sounds like they are a few miles away. As time keeps passing the voices keep talking, and soon they become audible. Did I win?

"Her vitals look good again." says the Doctor as he looks at a machine.

"Is she ready to be unplugged?"

I don't hear anything, but I feel them taking out tubes and needles from my arms and head. I hadn't realized this before, but the room was a hospital room, bright yellow and white. Terribly nasty colors- if I do say so myself. When they announce me as Victor, I'll bring it up to Snow. Not the first thing a Victor wants to see on her first time back from the arena.

"Honora?" asked the Doctor.

"Victor Honora." I say as the bright light comes out of my eyes. The hoarseness in my voice was something I wasn't expecting. Why does my throat feel like sandpaper?

They hand me a glass of water as if reading my mind. I chug it down quickly, and hand it to them for another. After three glasses of water, I feel that I am able to talk again.

"What's going on?" I ask. "What happened?"

"Honora you were killed in the 204th Hunger Games by the District 1 male Pollux. You were shot in the head. We brought you back for a special Hunger Games called All-Stars, and you'll compete for the title of Victor again.

"Wait, what?! What's going on?!"

"I'm ready to retrieve the baby." says a blonde lady that walks into the room.

"Don't worry Honora, it'll all make sense soon." says the nurse, as she slides a watch onto my arm, and suddenly I feel it. Traveling back, all the way through my life. I see how I died in the games, I see how I got moved from District 1 to District 4. I saw everythi-

* * *

 **Five Years after the** **Reawakening**

* * *

 **Honora Cashmere Flloyd, 5**

 **Chanel's Group**

 **District 4 Female**

"Honora, did you seriously just cut Jinx's hair?! It's the first day of your training and all of you decided to lose your minds!"

I sit with my head down in the corner of the room. Jinx's brown hair sits in my hand. I wanted to have some brown hair too. All my sisters have brown hair, and I'm the only one with blonde hair. I want people to know that we are all siblings.

"Mom, it's okay!" says Jinx, "I told her she could."

Mom throws her head back and lets out a small squeal as she ushers Jinx into the bathroom, grabbing a brush and a scrunchie.

"Honora, I told you I didn't have time for this today!" says Mom as she ties Jinx hair up in a pony tail.

I walk over to the dresser and pull out a clip that mommy always puts in her hair. I take Jinx hair, and attach it to my own. Now I look like my sisters. Now people won't get confused.

"MOOOM." I say to retort her getting mad at me. "We were playing beauty shop, and I wanted everyone to know who my sisters were. I'm the only one who has yellow hair and I don't want it!"

Mom pokes her head out from the bathroom. She still has Jinx's hair in her hand, and Jinx gets dragged as she pokes out.

"Oh, sorry Jinx." says Mom as she finishes the ponytail and Jinx runs over to me with the clip. "What's wrong with yellow hair?!" ask Mom. "I have yellow-I mean blonde hair."

"It looks really good." says Jinx as she traces her fingers through my hair. "You're really going to look like your my sissy."

"Yeah!" says Vera as she is still pretending to brush her hair with the imaginary brush, "You look SUPER pretty."

We decided that we were going to wear matching dresses, and Mommy wasn't to keen on buying the same outfit for everyone. She was saying something about outfit copying is social suicide? But we didn't care. Mostly because we don't know what those words mean.

"ARES, ORION, JOSEPH LET'S G-" she stops when she sees Sashen still in her bed with the covers over her head. "SASHEN, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND! IT'S TIME TO GO!"

"Mommy, I don't want to go to school." she says from under her covers.

Mom runs to the closet and grabs a random dress out of it. She goes to Sashen and picks her up, and we are moving towards the door. It's always this crazy in the morning. Mommy isn't a very organized Mommy.

We get to the minivan and start piling in. I sit next to Vera and Jinx, and Orion sits on the other side of Vera. He smiles because he's very excited to go to school. It's all he's talked about for the past like, year.

"Mom, do we really get to learn today?!" He asks as he sits next to Vera.

"Shut up, Orion." says Ares from the back seat.

"MOMMY SAID THAT'S A BAD WORD!" says Sashen from the the chair next to him.

"You shut up, too, you're just a stupid girl."

"WE'RE RIDING IN SILENCE." says Mommy from the front seat. She puts the car in drive, and she begins to make her way to the school. I don't know how I'm feeling about it. We've met Aunt Iris, Aunt Mackenzie, and Uncle Huck before. We've never met their kids though. Mommy always said it wasn't the right time?

"Mommy?" I ask from the middle seat. She said ride in silence, but Mommy always does what I ask her to do.

"Yes, Honora?" she ask.

"Isn't Ares going to get in trouble for saying shut up twice? I mean, that is a rule."

She sighs from the front seat as she approaches a red light. Ares sits there with his mouth open as stares at me. I turn around and smile at him. I never liked my brother. He's kind of a meany.

"MOM, YOU WEREN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING UNTIL SHE SAID SOMETHING!" he whines as he starts to thrash and scream from the back seat.

"Could you maybe, you know, STOP KICKING MY SEAT!" screams Vera as she turns to face Ares with rage in her eyes.

"MOM, STOP THE CAR!" screams Jinx.

Mom slams on the thing that makes the car stop, and we all fly forward. Just as she stopped, a car flies by as they run the red light, and Mom looks wide eyed at Jinx as she takes deep breaths.

"How did you know that?" I whisper to her in shock.

"I don't know. Sometimes I just see things." says Jinx as she shrugs.

I grab her hand in mine, and then Vera's in my other one. "That's why we are sisters and friends forever." I say.

"What about Sashen, isn't she your sister too?" asked Ares, tauntingly.

"Mom doesn't Ares still have to be punished?" I ask with a concerned tone.

"Oh, right." she says as she pulls into the school parking lot. "Ares, no television after dinner tonight."

"WHAT?!" he screams as he thrashes himself around in the seat.

"Dude! You just hit me!" says Sashen as she is changing into her school clothes.

"I'M SO MAD!" screams Ares as he reaches up and pulls my brown hair out of my head. I turn around and look at him with slack jaw. Who does my brother think he is? I reach back behind me and slap him in the face.

"You don't mess with a woman's hair, Ares."

"Honora, you lose TV for that as well. No television for either of you."

I drop my jaw in shock. This is the first time I've ever been punished.

"Mom! He pulled out my brown hair." I say as I stomp my feet into the ground.

"You should have let me handle it." says Mom as she opens up the car door and we begin to file out of the car. "Hold hands while crossing the parking lot." she says as we line up in our order. "Chanel, you can do this today." she mutters as she grabs Vera's hand and we begin to walk into our first day of school.

* * *

 _Oh, you_

 _You're vain, your games, you're insecure_

 _You love me, you like her_

 _You made me laugh, you made me cry, I don't know which side to buy_

* * *

 **Orion Aquarius**

 **Reawakened Tribute #2**

 **Chanel's Group**

"HERO!" I scream as I thrash and yell. There is a bright light in my eyes, and everything is really fuzzy. I can feel people grabbing on to me, and the more I fight them off the better I hear them.

"He's going to ruin his vitals! We'll have to start over! STOP HIM!"

A new needle goes into my neck, and everything goes blank.

* * *

 **Five Years after the Reawakening**

* * *

 **Orion Aquarius, 5**

 **Chanel's Group**

 **District 7 Male**

I actually don't want to be here. I know I've pretended to want to, but I don't. I just heard Mommy talking to Aunt Iris one night on one of their nights off. They were drinking that red stuff that taste gross and makes my head feel funny, and they were going on about how we need to pay attention if we want to live past eighteen.

I want to live to be exactly 203 years old.

Walking into the building was a little scary. If this building is going to be the difference between eighteen and 203 years old, I need to be ready for anything that's going to come my way.

I trip over the stairs as we are walking up the front steps. The line let's go of our hands and Sashen helps me up. "Dude," she says, "try not to fall okay? We have a big day ahead of us." she dust off my light blue button down shirt that I picked out because Aunt Mack told me it was her favorite.

We walk down the long hallway, and the first thing I notice is the cameras that line the walls. They are everywhere. From the ceilings, to the walls, and the everywhere else.

"Mommy, why are there cameras everywhere?" ask Vera. Her voice sounds a bit concerned, and she isn't too pleased with it.

"Princess, you're going to be famous." says Mom, she is hustling to a certain room at the end of the hallway. We decide that it's best if we stop talking and just follow.

When we get into the room we are staring at a bunch of children that we've never seen before. Aunt Iris, Aunt Mack, and Uncle Huck are standing at the front with some brown haired lady, and they are all smiling as we walk in.

"Orion, I love your shirt!" says Aunt Mack from the front.

I smile and wave. I'm a little nervous right now. I don't really know what to expect from this. We start to fill in the last six chairs when I realize that either me or Sashen is going to have to stand up. I hurry to the seat and sit down quickly. She looks perplexed and upset, and then Vera scoots over so she can share the seat with her.

"Welcome to your first day of school, children." says the brown haired lady at the front. "My name is Rachel, and I'm President of Panem."

"If your president why are you here at my school?" says a dark haired girl from the front of the room.

"Getting there, Katarina." says Aunt Mack as she gets on to her. Ha, she got in trouble. Katarina. I'll remember her.

"Today I have a really big announcement." says President lady as she smiles at us big. "You'll be going to some called the Hunger Games when you get big!"

"I'm not hungry though?" whispers Vera as she stares at Sashen confused.

"You'll be training here until you graduate at 18. We will throw one big birthday party for you guys, and then you'll go into the arena." says President Lady.

"What's a birthday party?" asked Sashen.

I just shrug my shoulders. I don't know what that is either. Is that like when you're having a party because you birthed something? What does birth even mean.

"Another exciting news is that you'll be on a TV show called tribute watch!" says President Lady, "Today you'll be taking interview videos and pictures for the opening credits. We'll take a new one every year you get bigger." says President Lady. "So line up behind me, and we can start taking pictures!"

Standing in this line is the most boring thing I've ever done. There is like a million of us standing here, and I'm standing behind ARes and that makes it ten times worse.

"Orion, you're so annoying, stop staring at me!" says Ares as he gets his new friends to laugh.

"Yeah, Orion," says a little boy with dark brown hair and a pointy face. "Stop staring. It's annoying."

"I'm sorry, who even are you?" asked Sashen as she grabs my hand, I grip it back, appreciative that she is standing up for me.

"Nickle Parks. I'm from Iris' group."

"You shouldn't be so mean. Especially someone with a stupid name like you. You're named after money." says Sashen as she flips her hair in his face and stares at me. "It's okay, Orion. I will be right here the whole time."

I smile. Sashen and I have always been, what Honora and Ares call, the losers in the family. They tell us that we are super weird all the time. It hurts our feelings.

The line seems to take forever, but after awhile Mommy, and her friends get their shots in and we continue throughout the day. They lead us through the halls and show us how to get to our classes, and explain what we'll be doing in all of them. We make it to the the final door in the hallway, and they all pause.

"What's this room, Daddy?" asked a little girl with yellow hair.

"This is where you'll learn about the Hunger Games, Princess." says Uncle Huck as his face looks sad.

"Uncle Huck, why do you look sad?" I ask.

"Follow me." he says.

We walk into the classroom and they tell us to take our seats. We sit in silence as Mommy, Uncle Huck, Aunt Mack, and Aunt Iris stand at the front of the room.

"We don't want to to lie to you." says Aunt Mack as she stands at the front. Tears are welling up in her eyes as she turns and begins to write on the whiteboard. "Who can read what this says?"

Joseph raises his hands high and proud. He's always been a very smart boy. He taught himself to read.

"Hu-hung-hunger Games." he says sounding out the words.

"Yes, does anyone have any idea what it means though?" asked Aunt Mack.

"I'm still not even hungry." says Vera as she throws her hands up in the air. "Why do we have to make a game out of lunch time?"

"I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!" says a yellow haired girl in the front of the room. "Daddy always makes me eats my vegatables, and he tries to make it a game then. If it's anything like that, I don't want anything to do with this. No, no, no." says the girl.

"Carmen, let Aunt Mack explain." says Uncle Huck.

Aunt Mack takes a deep breath and then starts to sob. Aunt Iris wraps her in a hug, and then hands her off to Uncle Huck.

"The Hunger Games was a tool used back in the bad times to keep the districts in check." says Aunt Iris, "They would send 24 kids into the arena, and then they would fight until 23 of them are dead."

A gasp fills the room with all of staring at each other.

"Did you say we would be competing in the hungry games, President Lady?" I ask as I notice her standing in the back.

"Hunger Games, Orion." she says, "But yes, yes I did."

"You want us to die?" ask Sashen confused.

"No, I don't. Sometimes things have to happen this way. We are training you to the best of our abilities, and we will do everything we can to make this easy on you."

"We still die though?" ask Vera.

"25 of you will. Yes." says Uncle Huck. Tears forming in his eyes as well.

"You suck, Ms. President Lady." says Katarina, the girl from earlier.

"Katarina, you can't say that." says Aunt Mack.

"What mommy? I said Ms. Like you told me too."

"Let's go ahead and call it a day." says Iris. "This is a lot for them to take in, and I think they'll be more ready if we give them time to process."

The other three agree, and suddenly we are exiting the building that we just got too an hour ago.

"Mommy, why do you want me to die?" says Honora as we are driving in the minivan. Heading back home.

"I don't want you to die, Honora." says Mommy.

"So you want me to die then?" ask Vera confused. "Because she said only one of us is getting out, and-"

"I don't want any of you to die, Vera." says Mommy.

"Then don't make us do it." I say.

"Orion, sweetie," she sas. "I can't do that."

I take a deep breath and try to stop the tears from falling down my face. If this is how it's going to be, then I'm going to win. I refuse to die to someone like Ares. I'll win the Hungry Games, and I'll get President Lady for ever making me do this.\

 **Well that's the first two tributes! Since Chanel's group has 7 tributes next chapter will have 3 POVS.**

 **Who do you like better? Orion or Honora?**

 **Do you like it's showing the different ages? (I'm not changing my format, lol, but I'm interested on your take?)**

 **Predictions on these two?**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	7. Tribute Introductions: Ares and Vera

**Well I hope you all enjoyed Honora and Orion, we will continue this format.**

* * *

 _Be a man._

 _You must be swift as a coursing river._

 _With all the force of a great typhoon._

 _With all the strength of a raging fire._

 _Mysterious as, the dark side of_

 _THE MOON._

* * *

 **Ares Styx**

 **Reawakened Tribute #3**

 **Chanel's Group**

A sharp pain arises out of my back as I open my eyes to see a bright light. The blurry surroundings of where I am tells me that I made it out of the games alive. Good, that backstabbing, lying, stupid girl didn't do me in.

"He shouldn't be bleeding this bad." says the Doctor doing the operation on my back. "He's been dead for years!"

 _Dead?_

"Doctor, he's awake! Who is in charge on anesthesia for this tribute!"

Everything starts to fade, and suddenly I'm staring at nothing. The back of my eyelids are the only thing in my line of sight, but I can hear everything around me.

"I was hoping this kid wouldn't get picked." says a briskly male voice. "The girl from 2 really jammed that knife into his back. She twisted it around, he's going to take the longest to revive."

I hear suction sounds, and then the nurse chimes in as well.

"He's a very handsome tribute." she says.

"Those are the worst kind. Entitled to the win because they hit the DNA lotto. If I looked like this naturally, I wouldn't be a doctor. I can tell you that much. It's amazing how the freezer these kids were held in made them come out the exact same as they once were."

A couple of more minutes pass by and the doctor sounds optimistic about his work.

"Alright, that should do it. Thanks for your help, Lorna." he says. I feel myself being flipped over, and then a woman with a sultry voice enters the room. She is wearing heels, and it's very loud.

"I'm here to pick up the 12 boy." she says.

"Yes Ms. Vice President. One second, he still needs to be sent back."

Sent back?

Vibrant colors, memories of me and Nike playing in 2, the devastating feeling of being moved to twelve; they all flood through me in remembrance.

* * *

 **5 Years after the Reawakening**

* * *

 **Ares Styx, 5**

 **Chanel's Group**

 **District 12 Male**

I am so displeased with Honora right now! Who does she think she is? She made me miss my favorite TV show on the Capitol network, and now I want to scream an awful lot. It's late though. Severely past my bedtime, and I don't want to get in trouble for being out of bed when I should be sleeping.

The bedroom to the girl's door was cracked a little bit. Vera needs the hallway light on because she's scared of the dark, so sneaking in their room should be no problem.

When I walk through the door it slightly creaks, and I freeze. Jinx turns over in her bed, but then doesn't move again, so it's safe to get to Honora from here. I walk directly across the room to her bed, and cover her mouth with my hand. She shoots up, and tries to scream. Upon seeing it's me though she calms.

I motion for her to come follow me, and she gets out of bed and follows.

"Have you lost your mind!?" she says. "It's like later than late right now! Mom is going to kick your butt. We have school tomorrow."

I've had this plan since the beginning of the day. I would pull her out of her room at night, and then we would fight. Then I would kill her. She's going to die anyways. She has no shot at the Hungry Games anyways.

"We need to talk. I'm very upset at you right now. You made me miss Cheddar's Great Adventure. It was the last showing of that cartoon for the season!" I say as I go over to the sofa and sit down on it.

"If you don't recall, genius, I also missed my favorite show Powderfly and the Magic Beans." she says. "I feel no sympathy for you. My only regret is that I slapped you. Not even because it caused you pain, but because it got me in trouble. If it were up to me, you'd be in a lot of pain. You're a jerk."

I get up from the couch and walk over to her and push her. She flies backwards and lands on the ground. She stands up immediately and looks at me with a shocked reaction..

"Have. You. Lost. Your. MIND?" she asked me.

She runs at me, and slams her body into me. I kick her in the stomach, and she falls over. I go under the pillow and grab the knife that I had pre placed there for this exact moment, and hold it in my hand. It feels nice, like it has been there before.

"ARES, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she screams as I come closer to her with the sharp object.

"You're going to die at 18 anyways, you might as well experience it now." I say as I hold the knife up ready to plunge. That's when Mom walks into the room.

"Ares." she says very calmly. "What are you doing with a knife? And holding it above your sister?"

"MOMMY!" screams Honora as she runs over and hugs her waist. "It was scary. He woke me up, and told me to follow him. Then he said he was gonna kill me. Mommy! Make him stop! Send him away." she says as she buries her face into Mom's stomach.

"Honora, go to bed, sweetheart. I'll come check on you in a minute."

Honora runs out of the room, and closes the door to the girl's bedroom. She clicks the lock button and then we hear the creaking of her bed squeak as she climbs in.

"Would you like to tell me what was going on, Ares?" asked Mom as she crosses to the sofa and sits down. She gestures for me to follow, and I do. Mom has never given me a reason to be upset with her. Just stupid, Honora.

"Mom, I was just so mad!" I say in a whiny tone. "She does bad stuff all the time and nobody gets onto her! All I said was shut up, and then I missed Chedd-"

"Ares, that doesn't explain your knife holding situation." says Mom.

"I was going to kill her." I say very matter of factly.

Mom buries her head into her hands, and sighs. I hear her muttering something to herself. Something like "This is why I didn't want to do this.", and then she just sits like that for a minute. She's sitting really quiet, and it makes me kind of uncomfortable.

"She's going to die anyways, Momma. I'm going to win the Hungry Games." I say very proudly.

"Ares," Mom says, "The Hunger Games are no joke. They're a very serious thing. I know that we call them a game, but they are the farthest thing from a game. Life isn't something that you just take for granted."

"Mom, why should she keep living if she isn't going to win? Isn't that kind of cruel."

"If only all of you knew who you really were."says Mom quietly.

"What did you say, Mommy?"

"Nothing, Ares. You need to go to bed. There is a big day tomorrow. No TV tomorrow either."

"BUT MOM!" I scream.

"Should have thought about that before you tried to kill your sister."

I pout as I stand up and stomp back into the room. I go and sit on my bed when I feel that there is a body already sitting there in it. I get my flashlight from under my bed and see Jinx sitting there staring at me with an angry look.

"What are you doing here?!" I whisper.

"If I catch you messing with my best friend again, you won't like the answer." says Jinx as she gets up and leaves the room.

* * *

 _I want fabulous!_

 _That is my simple request._

 _All things fabulous!_

 _Bigger and better is best!_

* * *

 **Vera Naylor**

 **Reawakened Tribute #4**

 **Chanel's Group**

"Where is Lloyd?"

There is a bright light in my face, and I'm so thirsty I could probably drink the atlantic ocean and still be thirsty. My throat hurts _so_ bad.

The nurse that is taking care of me, smiles at me sweetly as she hands me a glass of water. It still doesn't answer my questions though.

"Did I win the games?"

She signals for me to drink my water, and I begin to sip on it. The water instantly wets my pallet, and it feels normal again. This is some good water.

I turn my neck and look around the room I'm currently inhabiting, and multiple cracks are heard as I turn my neck.

"What the hell is that?" I ask.

"Vera, there is no easy way to say this…" says the nurse

"Say what?"

She's about to start talking when a blonde lady with stroller that seats 7 kids rolls into the room. She already has 3 in her stroller, and she is a very pretty woman. If she had all three of those kids, let alone 7, she bounces back QUICK.

"I'm here for the District 11 girl." says the pretty blonde woman. "Oh, you're absolutely stunning." she says looking at me. "You'll be so pretty when we get some decent clothes on you."

"Wait, what do you mean here for the District 11 gir-"

Colors surround me, and I'm sent back in time. I was in the 102nd Games, in a relationship with Lloyd, and got my neck snapped at the bloodbath.

* * *

 **5 Years after the Reawakening**

* * *

 **Vera Naylor, 5**

 **Chanel's Group**

 **District 11 Female**

"WHY IS THE LIGHT OFF?!" I scream.

The other girls wake up in the room. Sashen rolls over on her side, and throws her covers over her head.

"You guys, I am not happy." I say as I sit in my bed, too scared to move.

Jinx gets up, or at least I think it's Jinx, and turns on the light. Yes, it was Jinx.

The clock on our bedside table says that it is 7:30 AM. School starts at 8:30, so we have time to get ready today. Today is Tuesday, and on Tuesdays, I like to wear purple.

I hope off of my bed and cross over to the closet. I start digging through the side that has my clothes in it. I grab a pair of bright purple sweat pants, and a purple striped shirt. On the shirt is two different shades of purple, and it has a fairy princess on it. I'm actually a fashion queen.

"Vera, you always dress so cute!" says Honora as she walks over to the closet and pulls the exact same outfit than me, just in a different color. She sports a very light blue.

"Thanks, Honora, honestly it's hard to be beautiful." I say. "Do you need a piece of my hair? I can't imagine how hard it is living with yellow hair."

"I think I'll live today. I'll go natural."

"What are you girls talking about?" Mom is standing in the doorway. She has her eyebrows raised, and she is already dressed in a bright yellow romper. Her white keds are so white they actually hurt my eyes. Her hair is in a high ponytail.

"Mommy, can you do my hair today?" I ask.

"Yes, Vera." she says as she calls me over and begins to do my hair. She ties it in a high pony, and she then cast it to the side.

"Wow! I look so pretty!" I say.

She laughs, "You sure do."

"Jinx and Sashen, it's time to get up!" says Mom.

The girls reluctantly roll out of bed, and I grab Mommy's hand. "I'm going to help you today." I say proudly.

"Sounds like a plan." says Mom.

"I'll be watching cartoons!" says Honora as she runs by us quickly to get to the TV remote before the boys get there.

Mommy leads me into the kitchen, and ask me to get the lunchboxes. I go into the pantry and grab all 7 of the lunch boxes. Each of them have a cool design on them, and a number. Mine has a purple unicorn on it, and an 11.

She gets the bread and the turkey out, and ask me to grab the mayonnaise and cheese, and I run to the kitchen to get them. They mayonnaise is on the top shelf, and I just stare at it because I don't know how to get it down.

"Vera, sweetheart," ask Mom. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to get it, mommy." I say.

She smiles as she walks over and grabs it, and then pauses. She sits it back on the top shelf and closes the door.

"Why'd you do that, mommy?" I ask.

"You're going to have to figure out how to get it down, Vera." she says.

I stare at her angry. I don't have time for this. I wanted to catch the last little bit of Powderfly and the Magic Bean, but Mommy is being mean.

I stare at the fridge door, and then look around the room. I see a kitchen chair, a counter, a overmit...OH A KITCHEN CHAIR!

I walk over and grab it as I drag it over to the fridge. I open up the door, and grab the mayonnaise for Mommy. She smiles as she takes it from my hand. "Thanks dear." she says. I hand her the cheese and then put the chair back, and close the fridge door.

Mommy tells me that it's okay to go watch cartoons with Honora, and I run out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Honora! You'll never even guess what happened!" I say excitedly. "I got the mayonnaise down from the top shelf! All by myself!"

Her jaw drops as she stares at me surprised, and Jinx and Joseph walk into the room.

"Guys, do we have to watch Powderfly?!" ask Joseph as he throws his head back and whines.

"Yes." says Honora. "Vera wants to watch it, and she's had a very big morning already. Right, Vera?"

"Right, Honora."

Joseph comes and whispers to us as he sits down on the couch excitedly. "I actually like Powderfly. I just didn't want Ares and Orion to know that I like it. So I whined."

"Your secret is safe with me." I whisper back to Joseph. His bright blue basketball glasses are sitting lopsided on his face. He's never actually played basketball, but he liked those and Mom said who was she to take it away from him?

"You missed Powderfly almost drowning in the chocolate river. Then Ranbo Sludge tried to take over the candy tower, but the power of the magic bean saved them all, and Ranbo, I think, is dead. However, this has happened before. So we shall see."

"Okay, thanks for catching me up. I hate stupid Ranbo. I hope Powderfly unlocks her special powers and zaps him!" says Joseph.

We are able to watch ten more minutes of the episode before Mommy walks in and tells us it's time to go.

"Good!" says Joseph as he gets up. "I didn't want to watch this stupid girl show anyways."

 **And that is Vera and Ares! Next Chapter we will hear from Jinx, Joseph, and Sashen!**

 **Who do you like better? Ares or Vera?**

 **What did you think of these two?**

 **Predictions?**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	8. Tribute Intros: Jinx, Sashen, and Joseph

**So this is the last of Chanel's group. Hope you enjoy them…**

* * *

 _Cause I'm dreaming,_

 _of you tonight._

 _Til' tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight._

 _And there's no place in the world I'd rather be._

 _Then here in my room, dreaming about you and me._

* * *

 **Joseph Aleds**

 **Reawakened Tribute #5**

 **Chanel's Group**

I can literally feel the spear break through my chest. It's a painful feeling, but it was for Brynlee.

Yes, I fell in love during the Hunger Games, yes I'm an idiot I know, but still. How do you control something like that? It happens. Falling in love is like a lightening strike. You never know when to expect it.

A bright light is shining in my face, and I realize that the spear that I thought I was feeling, isn't actually a spear. It's a sewing needle, and they're sewing me back up.

"Done." says the doctor. He sees that I'm awake and his eyes narrow. He clearly didn't feel like dealing with anything crazy.

"Did Brynlee win?" I ask, confused.

"She did." says the doctor.

I smile. The first Hunger Games, and the girl I loved won. I knew she would do it. I knew she had it in her. Wait though, if she won, how am I still alive?

"Did I win too?" I ask confused.

"Unfortunately not Joseph." says the doctor as he grabs my clipboard and quickly goes through my vitals. "You see, Brynlee died over 220 years ago. We are in the 301st year of this great country."

"I-I- what?" I ask completely confused.

"My boy, you have been selected from a large pool of tributes. Over 7200, if I might add, to compete in a Hunger Games unlike any other. I'm afraid you really won't remember any of this though, because you see. You will be sent back in time, in about... eh, now."

"WAIT! WHAT I-"

* * *

 **5 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Joseph Aleds, 5**

 **Chanel's Group**

 **District 3 Male**

I'm really excited that I get to go to school today. There is this really pretty girl there, and she makes me really happy to see. She was also wearing a Powderfly shirt yesterday, and that made me really happy.

Arriving at the school was no big deal, or at least nothing out of the ordinary. Ares and Honora fought, Vera and Jinx took up for Honora, and Sashen and Orion kept to themselves. I just like to imagine things.

Like we aren't driving in a minivan to school right now, I can tell you that. More like flying on a rocket ship to the moon!

"Alright guys," mom says as she pulls into her parking space, "Load out!"

We all jump out of the minivan and are walking towards the school, when a camera crew comes running up behind us. Pictures are being taken, they're screaming questions at us, and we aren't exactly sure what's going on.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" screams Vera as she pushes past one of them.

Mommy turns around and stares daggers at the man who she screamed at. He has blue skin, and a bright green hair, and tattoos that cover his body entirely. He looks really weird.

"Banned." says mommy as she glances at him and continues to walk.

"But Ms. Vice-"

"Shut up!" screams Mom.

The entirety of the people taking pictures stop and stare at us. Mom is fuming, and they seem to be scared out of their minds. She ushers us in one by one, and tells us to go to Aunt Mack's class.

"Mommy," says Sashen, "what about you?"

"Mommy has some stuff to take care of." she says with a menacing glance towards the picture people.

We walk down the hallway and turn into Aunt Mack's classroom. In the room were all the other students we saw yesterday. They were seated at different tables, and a white board with everyone's names on it in the front of the room.

"Good morning!" says Aunt Mack as we enter. "As you can see, we have a seating chart for this class! Here in Social Understandings year 1, I really want to emphasize the importance of building relationships. Look around for your name, and then take a seat!" says Aunt Mack with a big smile.

I see my name on the board and walk over to the table with a boy with jet black hair, a girl with yellow hair, and another girl with black hair.

"My name is Ava." says the girl with yellow hair. She has a really nice smile that makes me want to be her friend. Her hair is really nice to. Her ribbons are the prettiest ones in the class. "What is yours?" she asked.

"My name is Joseph." I say proudly. I adjust my glasses on my face and look to my other table mates. "Who are you guys?"

"My name is Sylvia." says the girl with black hair. She flips her hair over one shoulder and gives me a scary look. She looks unsettlingly, and makes my stomach start turning. I don't know if I like her.

"My name is Amandus." says the boy quietly.

"Isn't that a girl name?" ask Sylvia with a weird look on her face.

"Daddy says don't tease. You shouldn't do that." says Ava with a scolding voice on.

"Your daddy isn't mine. I don't even have a daddy. So get out of my face, little miss perfect!"

I don't really know what to do in this situation. I'm used to Honora and Ares fighting, but these are two new people I'm supposed to be making friends with. I look around the room, and see that other people are laughing and having a blast. Aunt Mack just stands at the front of the room smiling, until she sees my face. She walks over to the table and begins to look around at us.

"What's wrong here?"

We all look around at each other. We know we don't want to tell on Sylvia, but Aunt Mack isn't going to go away without us answering. After a while, Sylvia rolls her eyes, and makes a hand gesture towards Ava to let her know what's wrong.

"Why don't you tell me, sweet heart."

Sylvia folds her hands on the table, and glances up at Aunt Mack.

"I don't like my table mates." she says. "I would like to move."

"Hey!" I say looking at her.

She glances over at me and raises her eyebrows. "What?" she asked.

"You were the one being mean! The whole point of this class is to make friends. You weren't acting like one."

"I never said I wanted to be your friend!" she says angrily in retort.

Aunt Mack is watching this as it unfolds, and she begins to take notes. She is writing very fast, and I wish I could see what it was she was writing. After a few more minutes of writing, she looks up and smiles.

"Sylvia, you will be sitting here for the duration of the time with this seating chart."

"BUT AUNT MACK!"

She holds up a hand, and Sylvia quiets down. "No buts." she says. "This is a no but zone."

Ava slides me a piece of paper. I open it up, and look down at what it said.

 _I really like how you stood up for Amandus._

 _You're cool!_

I thought I was the only one who knew how to write! I look over at Ava and smiles. Maybe this whole Hungry Games thing isn't going to be so bad after all.

* * *

 _We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time._

 _It's miserable and magical._

 _Oh yeah._

 _Tonight's the night where we forget about the deadlines._

 _This time._

* * *

 **Sashen Blaize**

 **Reawakened Tribute #6**

 **Chanel's Group**

Where am I?

"Great, just my luck." says an unknown man's voice as a bright light is shining down on my face. "I was still working on a speech, and you woke up."

"I'm sorry!" I say genuinely. "Do you want me to go back to sleep?..."

The bright light disappears, and I realize that there wasn't one to begin with. I'm in a pink and blue room, and in a bed. Did I survive the games?

"No. You can't just go back to sleep." he says with a sad tone in his voice. "It ruins the whole surprise of you being reawakened!" he says in a dramatic whine.

"Reawakened?" I ask, confused.

He throws his head back and lets out a mighty scream. He seems sad. I am a little creeped out, but at the same time...he wouldn't be allowed in the room with a victor if he was insane right? Surely the Capitol has some sort of protocol for security.

"Look, I've butchered this. Just know that you're going to be okay. At least for another 18 years." he says.

"Wait, why only 18?"

He clamps a watch onto my wrist and starts to push random buttons.

"Wait. Sir what's going on-"

* * *

 **5 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Sashen Blaize, 5**

 **Chanel's Group**

 **District 12 Female**

Lunch time is weird. I have a couple of new friends, but mostly, I just want to make sure Orion is okay. I know that Ares sat at the table next to him at Aunt Mack's class, and I bet he was mean to him.

I exit the stall that I was using, and walk over to the sink and start to wash my hands. A girl with dark brown hair appears next to me, and she starts to wash her hands. She seems very confident, and she has really pointed cheeks.

"Hello. My name is Ellie." she says after standing at the mirror for awhile.

"My name is Sashen." I say.

"Oh that's different!" she says as she smiles at me. "We're going to be BEST friends. I can already tell."

She grabs me by my hand, and begins to drag me out of the bathroom. I didn't get a chance to dry my hands, and she realizes once we sit down at the table.

"That's okay! Why else were dresses made for?" she ask as she wipes her hand on her dress. I smile reluctantly as I follow suit. A couple of minutes, later a group forms around the table. A girl with dark hair, that is very long, and a boy with dreadlocks in his hair.

"My name is Katarina." she says as she sits down. She has a bright red bow in her hair. It looks really nice.

"I'm Keanu!" says the boy brightly. He consist to pour the contents of his lunch box on the table. "YES! SCORE! Mom packed mini cupcakes!"

He smiles as he instantly opens up the cupcakes and takes a bite. Katarina rolls her eyes and turns back to me.

"Excuse my brother. He has a little issue with table manners." she says smiling. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask your name?"

"Sashen."

"What kind of a name is that?" ask the boy with a teasing smile.

"The same kind of a name as Keanu." I say with a smile back.

Katarina and Ellie's eyes widen with excitement as they look back at me.

"It's decided." says Katarina. "You can be our friend."

I smile not only because of that comment, but because Orion is running towards the table. He slips into the seat next to me, and smiles.

"Hi guys."

"Hello." says Ellie brightly.

Orion sits down and begins to empty the contents of his lunch box one by one. He looks around and stops when he gets to Katarina.

"You aren't eating?" he asked noticing that her lunch kit was still full.

"What are you? The lunchbox police?" she asked in return.

"Hey. That's my friend." I say. "If you want to be nice and be friends with me, you have to be nice to Orion."

"Meh." says Katarina as she pulls out a pocket mirror with glitter in it. She starts to apply the glitter and looks to Ellie for approval, who nods.

The bell rings for lunch to end, and we start to exit the cafeteria. The next class that we have to go through is Aunt Iris. I remember Ares getting excited because he gets to punch stuff.

We enter the room, and similar to last class there is a seating chart at the top of the board. I walk into the room and look for my name on the chart and see that I'm seated at table 3. I walk over, and take a seat. Shortly after a boy with brown hair, and a mousey face sits next to me. He seems quiet, and doesn't really seem to be excited to be here.

"Hello." I say with a smile.

"Hi." he says quietly as he avoids eye contact.

I want to help him. He seems scared and I want to be able to be there for him. I just don't know how. Then I remember the rock. I found it on my way into the school and it was very pretty. It was a blue shiny thing, and in the inside of it, it had gold! I was so excited to find it. I think he would be better off with it though.

"Here. This is a happy stone. It's made me very happy, and now I want you to use it, and make you happy."

The boy gives me wide eyes as he picks up the stone and examines it. I can't believe he looks so happy! It makes me happy to see him smiling.

"My name is Sashen."

"Baptiste."

A short while later a boy with dark colored hair sits across from me. He has a cool kid look about him, and he looks ready to answer any questions.

"My name is Wyatt." he says. He doesn't bother smiling. He just keeps his face the way it is.

"Sashen, and this is Baptiste."

"I didn't ask." he says.

A very pretty girl comes and joins us sitting next to Wyatt right before class starts.

"My name is Artemis. I'm originally from District 2, but my Daddy adopted me."

"What do you mean from District 2?" I ask confused. "What's a district?"

"You don't know?" ask Wyatt. "I'm from District 1. That's why I don't talk to people who aren't from District 1, 2, or 4." he says glancing over at Artemis. "We can be friends." he says looking at her.

"Thanks." she says looking over at us.

Baptiste and I look at each other, and then back at the two sitting across from us. This is going to be a long day.

* * *

 _Take a look_

 _through my eyes._

 _There's another place somewhere out there._

 _Take a look_

 _through my eyes._

 _Everything changes, you'll be amazed what you'll find._

 _If you take a look through my eyes_

* * *

 **Jinx Freight**

 **Reawakened Tribute #7**

 **Chanel's Group**

I remember dying. There's no way I won. Yet, here I am, awake.

The bright light, which I can only assume is me regaining life, has vanished, and I'm now sitting in front of a bald man with a giant smile.

"Hello, Jinx."

I hold out my hand and stare at him questioningly. "Your palm." I say.

He looks at me confused and hands me his palm. I still have the touch.

"I don't trust anyone until I read their palm." I say as I randomly trace over the lines in his hands. Now, let's examine this man. Bald, slightly overweight, a big fake smile. He is clearly unhappy with his life. Why would a man with a nice job be unhappy? I look to his left hand, and there on his wedding finger lies a ring. Bingo, it's always the wife.

"Sir," as I stand up and move behind his shoulders. "Your wife is cheating on you. Isn't she?"

I begin to massage his shoulders and he shrugs me off.

"See here, Ms. Freight. I read your file and-" I lean down and kiss him on the lips, and after a few moments of fighting me, he gives in. Then I hear a voice of a female. I look up to see a blonde lady, who can't be more than twenty-two.

"Seriously, Wilbur?" she says with a disgusted tone. "Less than 2 hours ago she was dead. I swear you'll take it from anywhere."

She walks up to me and grabs ahold of my arm, and a surprisingly firm grip at that. I try to pull away but she drags me to the bed. She sits me down, and pulls out my arm and slaps a watch on my wrist. I try to pull away as she has a hold on my arm, but she won't budge.

"Sorry, psychic bitch. Enjoy infanthood again."

"Wait. Wha-"

* * *

 **5 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Jinx Freight, 5**

 **Chanel's Group**

 **District 6 Female**

"You will find the love of your life in this school." I say.

The pretty girl with yellow hair, I think her name is Ava, stands before me. Her palm stretched out. She has pretty eyes, and her hair falls in light curls around her head. She has a Powderfly shirt on which I'm sure has caught the attention of all my sisters, and maybe even Joseph.

"Really?!" she asked surprisingly. "The love of my whole life?!"

I would like to take the time to acknowledge that I have absolutely no clue what I'm talking about. It's not that I'm lying to them. I just saw it on TV one night, and I thought it was cool. Honora was very interested in this "talent", but Vera and Sashen just said it was a lie. I'm not a liar.

"Yes. The love of your whole life."

"Is he handsome?" she asked excitedly. "Can you see him."

"He's blurry. I can tell you that he has a pair of eyes, and he has a nose."

"He has both of those?!" she says excitedly.

Another girl with yellow hair runs up to me and smiles. She looks really friendly, and she has her hair up in purple ribbons.

"Can you tell me mine?" she asked.

"I don't even know your name." I respond.

"She doesn't just use her talent on anyone." says Honora.

The girl frowns and sits down. She looks up at us and ushers us to come towards her. We join her on the ground, and Vera looks upset.

"I don't want to sit on the ground!" she says mad.

We all stare at her, and Ava takes off her shoes and lies them on the ground. She ushers Vera to sit down, and she smiles and complies. After we all sit in the circle I hold out my hand, and the girl looks at me confused.

"I thought I had to know you better." she says. "My name is Edith." she says.

"My name is Jinx. These are my sisters Honora and Vera." they wave and then Edith smiles.

"Well. Now I feel like we know each other." she hands her hand to me, and I begin to read the palm she has. I have no idea what she's expecting. I just know that some lines are longer than the other, and I make up stuff about what they mean.

This girl has a very genuine feel to her though. I feel weird making things up. I close my eyes, and I try really hard to hear something about what this girl has in store for her future. No matter how hard I try though, I can't hear anything. This is stupid.

I pout and look angry at everyone, and Edith's eyes get big. I forgot that I was reading her palm. She probably thinks that I was reading something bad.

"What did you see?" she asked nervous.

Well, let's think about this for a minute. The odds of this girl living after the Hungry Games is small. Even now, I can kind of tell who I need to look out for. These sweet and genuine kids that keep smiling and obeying everything aren't threats. They're dangerous for an alliance. I might as well be honest with my opinion.

"The spirits bring sad news." I say.

I have no idea who the spirits are, but that's what the lady on the Tv called them when she would read people's futures. So I figure it's the right thing to say, right?

"Why sad news?" she asked looking upset.

Ava is burying her feet in the sand, and when she hears that she frowns and puts her hand on Edith's shoulders.

"It's okay. Daddy says that you can always turn an ugly day over with a smile."

Edith smiles at her, but I can tell that it isn't a real smile. She looks back at me and encourages me to continue on.

"I would just like to say that I have no control over what the spirits say." I point out to her. "They say that you will not make it out of the Hungry Games."

Edith's eyes well up as she tries to hold a brave face. Honora bites her lip suppressing a smile, and Vera looks sympathetically towards her. Edith stands up and dust off her blue jeans and walks away.

"Can I have my shoes back?" asked Ava.

Vera hands her her shoes, and Ava runs off after Edith. They end up at the swing set and are sitting there talking. Ava is dangling her bare feet as Edith is crying at the swing. Aunt Mack makes her way over there and begins to see why Edith was upset, when she points to me.

Aunt Mack runs across the playground and stops in front of us. She is wearing a red shirt, and khaki shorts, and also has on a pair of white shoes. She motions for Honora and Vera to leave upon her arrival.

"Good luck." whispers Vera as her and Honora run off chuckling.

Aunt Mack sits across from me crisscross and stares me down. We just kind of sit there for awhile, before I finally break the weirdness that I feel in the air.

"Do you want me to read your fortune too?" I ask.

Aunt Mack frowns as she puts her head in her hands. I can tell that she's trying to think of something, but what I don't know. After a minute she sighs and then looks back at me.

"Look, Jinx," she says. "It's great that you know who you are at such a young age. I think it's honestly incredible how mature you are, but we can't say things like that to our friends." she says.

I throw my head back and sigh. "Do you honestly think someone like her has a shot?" I say. "Honora and I snuck into the living room when we got home and stole a book on the Hungry Games. We saw what we're going to have to do. I don't think she has it in her."

"How ironic." says Aunt Mack.

"What's iconic mean?" I ask.

She giggles and hands me her hand, and I begin tracing the lines.

"All I'm saying is let's be nice, and not say things like that to people. Edith is sweet, but she's a fighter. You don't know these kids yet. You haven't even really trained."

"Fine!" I say. "I'll stop telling people they're going to die. Even though I think it."

"You know I won the Hunger Games right?"

My jaw drops. Aunt Mack killed someone? How did she do it? I don't think that she even has a mean bone in her body.

"You killed someone?"

"No. I didn't kill a single person. That's why it's important to take my class seriously." she says with a wink as she gets up and walks away. She tousles my hair, and then goes back to a now smiling Edith.

I wonder who else has won the Hungry Games?

* * *

 _And I'm here to remind you._

 _Of the mess you left when you went away._

 _It's not fair, to deny me._

 _Of the cross I bear that you gave to me._

 _You, you, you, oughta know._

* * *

 **Iris Dupree, 33**

 **Combative and Strategic Mentor**

 **Last day of the first year**

We decided as a group instead of giving the kids grades, that every year we would rank them depending on where we see them placing in the games as of that year. It's a dreadful task. They're five years old, and we are supposed to judge them on brutality and instincts of survival.

What I find fascinating however, is the fact that these kids are already so much like their old selves. Jinx is already taking up her old psychic facade, Ares and Honora are already brutal. You see kids like Ava and Edith who are still unchanged by their games. I hope they never get their memories back. They don't deserve that.

In my hand is a list of the placements from Victor to 26th. Chanel had to play mediator, and it was very hard on all of us. We all saw potential in our kids, but then again, they're our kids.

I walk down the hallway of the President's house. I knock on the door at the end of it, and Rachel calls me in. Seeing me she and Star Fire sit up in their seats. They want to see the rankings.

"Is that it?" ask Star as she stares at me with a look of excitement.

"Yes." I say. I walk over to the couch and sit down. " Before I give this to you though, I want you to know that you two disgust me. The fact that you're excited to see these kids play out their lives for a number on a page is ugly. You two are ugly."

"Is that all?" asked Rachel clearly unphased.

"No, lastly, with all due respect, fuck you, Rachel."

I slam the paper down and storm out of the room. I walk down the hallway, and wipe a tear from my eyes. I wasn't supposed to feel this much for them. I wasn't supposed to love these kids.

They're my whole world. I'm training my world to self destruct.

"Iris, get it together. Your babies are counting on you. At least one of them is getting out. Mark my words." I wipe my eyes and proceed out of the hallway, and down the marble staircase. Sitting in the chairs nice and quiet sit my six babies. My six treasures. I make it to the bottom and they get up to greet me. "Come on guys," I say. "We are getting burgers tonight."

The smiles and looks on their faces only intensify my love for them. What did I get myself into?

* * *

 **92 reviews is amazing. Thank you so much. I also hate to bring this up, because it's petty. However, last time it happened and I got angry messages from the people it happened to. I do kill the tributes who submitters aren't reading. I arc the story ahead of time, but in all honesty I work hard on the chapters, and if there is someone who worked hard on a tribute and is keeping up with the story, rather than someone who submitted and disappeared I do find it rude. It's not really to be a jerk, or be a review whore (though I am a self proclaimed one), but out of respect for the people reading.**

 **ANYWAYS, at the end of each group, we will have a list, Surprise my friends the list on the website is the identical to the one you'll see on Huck's group ending chapter. They'll be 16. Their final placements are unknown to be honest, though I do think I have my top 4. The graduation list however, doesn't necessarily mean the tribute is going far. Remember the hunger games is a bit unpredictable.**

 **The list is based off what you've seen in chapters. I've tried to give everyone a chance. Keep in mind I'm keeping social and combative on the same playing field.**

 **The list**

 **Victor: Ares Styx**

 **2nd: Wyatt Lane**

 **3rd: Artemis Merone**

 **4th: Jinx Freight**

 **5th: Caius Sevara**

 **6th: Julian Octavian Maximus**

 **7th: Joseph Aleds**

 **8th: Nickle Parks**

 **9th: Honora Cashmere Flloyd**

 **10th: Keanu Hargraves**

 **11th: Orion Aquarius**

 **12th:Sylvia Hadley**

 **13th: Katarina Morellee**

 **14th: Ava Willows**

 **15th: Ellie Zweigle**

 **16th: Edith Blackwood**

 **17th: Vera Naylor**

 **18th: Sashen Blaize**

 **19th: Jade VanBelle**

 **20th: Amandus Porter**

 **21st: Jayanti Haeok**

 **22nd: Baptiste L'Acroix**

 **23rd: Hazel Patch**

 **24th: Carmen Diego**

 **25th: Tycho Brunsfeld**

 **26th: Shawn Wheel**

 **Next time you read these guys, they'll be 10.**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	9. Tribute Introductions:Katarina and Keanu

**Hope you guys enjoyed Chanel's group. Here is Iris'.**

* * *

 _Do you tear yourself apart to entertain like me?_

 _Do people whisper about you on the train like me?_

 _Saying that you shouldn't waste a pretty face like me?_

* * *

 **Katarina Morellee**

 **Reawakened Tribute #8**

 **Iris Group**

Where am I? Why am I not in the arena clothes? Did I win?

I blink my eyes, and with every blink the blinding light that is shining on them gets dimmer and dimmer. No, this can't be the Capitol. I have no idea what this machine is that is next to me, but I certainly don't think that it was around when I was in the games.

"Hello Katarina."

I jump, it's not often people catch me by surprise. However, the red head with the freckles certainly caught me off guard.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"My name is Lena. I am the nurse that brought you back to life."

"Brought me back to what? Freckles, what are you talking about?"

The nurse chuckles to herself, and sits down. It was then that I noticed that she's like me. She's playing a game with me right now. Trying to make me squirm, feel uncomfortable. She's mistaken, I invented this game.

"Brought you back to life. You were dead. You lost the games."

The Origins of Monstrosity. I remember how much they advertised that theme that year. Constantly a commercial on every screen in the Capitol. I couldn't walk by a television without seeing one of us on the screens.

"I was clearly robbed." I say as I take a piece of my dark brown hair and began twirling it in my fingers. "Why am I here though? You said back to life?"

The ladies eyes narrow. She is clearly mad that I am not giving her the reaction that she was hoping for. Her face hardens and she glances over at me with a stern expression.

"You were chosen."

She slaps a bracelet, which I think is a watch onto my wrist, she presses a whole bunch of buttons and then looks at me before pressing a giant red button.

"You have no idea what you're in for." she says with a grin.

I lean in close to her face and grin as I am about an inch apart from her.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with." I say.

She presses the big red button on the watch and a swash of colors fills my eyes. Bright blues, yellows, oranges, and pink. I remember now. I see the games, I see the life that I lived before now. I feel my death. I _remember_ my death.

"Ryella and Leila, you bitc-"

* * *

 **10 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Katarina Morellee, 10**

 **Iris' Group**

 **District 5 Female**

Five in the morning, and it's the usual start up. Wake up, shower, teeth, and then hair. The whole process takes about two hours, and it drives my sister's crazy. However, beauty is as much as you put into it. I will not look ugly in front of my classmates.

A knock at the door startles me from my routine as mom enters the room. She is wearing a white pair of denim pants, and a yellow tank top.

"Mom, don't you know it's after labor day? You aren't supposed to wear white." I say as I turn back to the mirror and continue brushing my hair.

101, 102, 103, 104…

"Katarina, why do you do this tedious routine everyday?" she ask crossing over to my vanity dresser and sitting on top of it. Her face looks a mix of concern and amusement, mostly concern though. She wouldn't understand. Mom is gorgeous.

"We aren't all natural models, mom." I say continuing to brush my hair.

128, 129, 130….

"Trust me, sweetheart, I'm not a model." she says chuckling as she takes the brush out of my hand and leads me back to the bed area of our rooms. You can tell who lives in what part of the room. Ellie lives in the messiest part, Hazel has everything neat and under control, I would like to think mine is the most normal?

"Talk to me." says Mom.

"Mom, I don't look like the other girls. I have dark skin, and dark eyes, but I don't look like you or Hazel. I'm lighter than you, but darker than Ellie. I don't know why I look so different, but it really bothers me." I say.

She takes me and wraps me in a hug. She squeezes me hard, and I let out a small sigh as she squeezes. She laughs, and I laugh. Mom always knows how to make me feel better.

"Katarina, you're beautiful. The only thing the differences in your skin color brings is beauty. You're unique."

An hour later ands he has the rest of the kids ready for the day and heading out the door.

"How do you get ready so early?" ask Ellie with a shocked tone. "I feel like you never sleep!"

I smile. Ellie is sweet, and honestly, a little dim. She's easy to use for what I need so I keep her around. Of course she's my sister, but I am not friends with Hazel at all. There is a difference between people that you live with and family. Ellie is family...she's just my family that I can play with.

"I just want to look my best." I say with a smile.

"I had the dream again." she says.

I look at her. That's a very strange dream to be having. She tells me that it always starts the same. She's running in a forest, when a boy and several other boys appear next to her out of nowhere. She is older than ten years old in the dream, and her foot gets suspended on a trap and she flies upwards. She's hanging from a net when a short girl with blonde curls pulls out a knife and cuts her neck.

Then she wakes up.

"Ellie, I don't want to talk about that right now. It makes me uncomfortable. Plus, I'm seeing Ares today. I don't want worry lines."

She smiles and turns away from me and faces the window. She doesn't really understand my liking of boys. She says that they're icky, and one time she saw Ares walk out of the bathroom, and he didn't wash his hands.

Bad hygiene aside though, Ares is still the one that I want to be with. I can tell that this is going to be forever. I can already imagine our wedding! Red colors everywhere, because I look good in red, and white flowers. It'll be beautiful.

"Time to get out, Kat." says Mom. I realize that I'm the only one sitting in the car. Mom looks confused as I snap back into reality after thinking of Ares.

Everyone is staring at me as they chuckle to themselves along the side of the minivan. I will _not_ have them laughing at me.

I start to feel tears well up in my eyes, but it's not something that I am actually feeling. This is totally just to get them all in trouble cause they're being jerks.

"Mommy," I say with tears rolling down my face. "I told you I was different, and people didn't like me."

Mom looks sympathetically towards me, and then turns to my siblings.

"No TV tonight. You won't be rude to your sister."

That shut them up quick. I unbuckle my seatbelt and hop out of the car. My shoes make a tiny impact on the ground, and I begin walking towards the school. Today was going to be a good day. It was something I could feel in my bones.

"Alright kids, remember to pay attention in Aunt Mack's class review. You do have a test later."

"Yes, Ma'am." we say in unison as we enter the classroom of Aunt Mack.

* * *

 _Some legends are told_

 _Some turn to dust or to gold_

 _But you will remember me_

 _Remember me for centuries_

 _And just one mistake_

 _Is all it will take_

* * *

 **Keanu Hargrave**

 **Reawakened Tribute #9**

 **Iris' Group**

Air, I need air.

Gasping for breath I barely notice that I'm no longer underwater. How did I manage to get out of Jose's grip? I thought for sure I was done for the minute I felt someone kick me into the pond I was trying to drink from.

"Hello?" I call out.

My throat feels as if someone took sandpaper and started sanding away at it. It hurts to talk, and it is drier than the heat we felt back in District 11. A pretty blonde lady comes into the room and smiles.

"I was hoping you'd wake up soon." she says. "Here, have some water."

She pulls a water bottle out of the fridge and hands me it, and I drink it in 4 big gulps. She hands me another one, and I continue to drink until I've gone through three bottles.

"Wow, you were really thirsty." says the nurse as she sits in the chair across from my bed.

"What happened? Did I win? How did I get away from Jose? I can't remember any-"

"Woah there," says the nurse. "One question at a time."

I frown upon her being dismissive of my questions, and then I look at her. She's really overwhelmed right now. She has bags under her eyes that I could probably lay in they're so large. She looks like she hasn't eaten in two days, and I bet she's annoyed being here.

"I-I-I'm sorry." I say deciding that changing from the aggressive behavior to a scared and worried one would be the best suit in dealing with this. "I just am so confused right now, and I-I don't know what my family thinks. It is the third games, and I killed 4 people. I-I-I feel so bad."

She narrows her eyes and stares at me. "We both know you don't." she says.

I widen my eyes as she takes my wrist, which is already handcuffed to the bed I'm noticing, and puts a watch on it. I try to jerk my arm away, but she just continues to press a lot of buttons on my watch. After a minute I feel like I'm being lifted through the bed. Colors surround me, and everything that has ever happened to me flash before my eyes.

The last thing I see is the doctor staring at my mom telling her "It's a boy" when-

* * *

 **10 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Keanu Hargrave, 10**

 **Iris' Group**

 **District 11 Male**

This class is so boring. We are watching certain hunger games moment and discussing how these people were able to socially outlast the rest. I appreciate what Aunt Mack is trying to show us, but at the same time it seems a little...well...repetitive.

"This is so boring." I say as I put my head down on the table. Ellie laughs from the next table over and throws a wad of paper at my head.

"Get up, stupid. She's looking." she whispers hard.

I sit up and look around at my table. I sit with Baptiste, who hardly ever talks unless it's with Jayanti, and ironically enough he is also at the table. I have lived with Baptiste for years, and I still don't think I've heard him say more than 10 words total. He's such a quiet guy.

The clip ends, and Aunt Mack walks over to the desk and sits down. She is staring at a class who doesn't really pay attention to her, and I can tell it upsets her. She works hard, and it's not her fault that this is boring.

"I don't see how you don't take my class seriously." says Aunt Mack as she doesn't get up from the desk. "You guys know it's how I won the games right?"

The whole class has slack jaw as the kids are shocked. I never imagined my Aunt Mack being in the Hunger Games, however, now that I think about it..it makes sense. She's such a fun person, not that you have to be fun to be in the games, but people just naturally like her. I can see them trying to save her for last, but her outsmarting them in the end.

"You won the games?" ask Katarina with a skeptical tone. "I don't see it."

"I knew it!" says Jinx proudly.

Another round of chaotic talk fills the classroom and suddenly Aunt Mack is standing on the table.

"I was 18 when I went into the games. Just like all of you will be." she begins. "My training score, which you guys have ranks, was a 2. That's the equivalent of being ranked 25th or 26th for you guys. I wormed my way into a solid alliance, and when the time came for it to break, I managed to be the only one who escaped that career bloodshed. Not only that, but I managed to make my way INTO the career alliance. From there I was able to manipulate them, and work them through the final two, where the girl from 4 and the boy from 1 ended up killing each other, completely forgetting about the little girl from 3."

"I still don't believe it." says Baptiste quietly.

The class turns and looks at him, because they aren't used to hearing his voice, but nonetheless they all agree.

"Fine." says Aunt Mack.

She walks over to the closet in her classroom and digs on the movie shelf. She finds the movie she is looking for, and walks back to the tv and movie player. She presses play, and a flash of pictures, just like the ones we've seen on all the other's play through. At the end of the pictures comes words in big white letters.

Mackenzie's Story.

We saw everything. From Aunt Mack being reaped, from the training sessions, and the form of her alliance. The Capitol called it hopeless, but soon was rooting for the underdogs. They split up in the final 12, and by the final 8 Aunt Mack was in the career alliance. She managed to turn them against each other, one by one. We kept waiting for her to kill someone, but she never did. She just maneuvered through them, and let them do the dirty work. Right down to the final three. It played out exactly how she said.

We all stare with wide eyes. This is crazy.

"Tomorrow we will be playing a team game. This game is supposed to show you how important the art of social strategy is in the games. You will be paired into teams, and from there you will be on your way to winning a special prize."

She had everyone at special prize.

"What is it?!" ask Ellie in excitement.

"It's a get out of a test pass." says Aunt Mack.

We all look at her in awe, and each individually decide that we have to win this game.

"How do we play?"

"You'll see tomorrow." she says with a smile. "Class dismissed, my kids stay here, the rest of you find your parents."

All at once everyone runs out of the room, and only myself, and Aunt Mack's children remain. I walk up to the desk and wait for her to acknowledge me.

"Yes, Keanu. What is it?"

"I just, I want to say thanks for sharing that with us." I say. "I know it's not easy to think about the games you were in. I can see it on your face. I just really want you to know that even though I find this class sometimes boring. I don't think you're boring."

She laughs to herself and pulls me in for a hug.

"I appreciate it kid." she says. "Now run off before your mom gets impatient."

I run out of the room, and stop before I round the corner to the hallway, I hear Honora, Katarina, and Ares talking.

"You can't date him." says Honora.

"Shut up, Honra." says Ares. "We can do whatever we want."

"I'll tell mom what really happened to her sunglasses then." says Honora as she glares at him in anger. "So the choice is yours."

She rounds the corner and sees me listening, and glares at me. "Is there a problem, 11?"

"My name is Keanu. You know we aren't supposed to call people by numbers."

"Ask me if I care, 11?" she says putting her finger to her mouth, and acting like she's thinking. "Oh, that's right. I don't."

She walks down the hallway and enters Aunt Chanel's room.

"God, I hate her." I say.

 **Well I hope you liked these two. Thoughts on them?**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	10. Tribute Introductions:Hazel and Baptiste

**Okay, so I am writing again today, and needed to point something out. Due to the complication in my last story...Sylvia is no longer runner up, but Victor of her original game. However, if you read the chapter it will make sense.**

 **I'm sorry for the confusion.**

* * *

 _Our little world,_

 _Is all it's meant to be._

 _Our little world._

 _Is everything a world outta be._

* * *

 **Baptiste L'Acroix**

 **Reawakened Tribute #10**

 **Iris's Group**

I can't breathe. It's cold in here, and I have no idea where I'm at. This isn't what I wanted. This isn't what I wanted to be at all. I thought I died? I thought I was finally free of it all. I thought that, for once, I was able to be free.

"Baptiste?"

"NO!" I scream. "LEAVE ME ALONE, PLEASE!"

The woman's voice seems soothing, but so was hers.

"It's okay boy. We are only playing a game."

I didn't want to. I didn't want to play that game, but she didn't listen to me. I said no. I screamed. I tried to fight her off, and finally she held a gun to my head. It was game over. I knew I had lost. I wasn't ready for what was about to happen, but at 14 years old, I was raped.

"Baptiste, please calm down. We are going to have to sedate you if you don't let us-"

"NO, LET ME G-"

The needle enters my arm and everything starts to go fuzzy. Things are getting blurry, and suddenly, I'm out cold.

* * *

 **10 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Baptiste L'Acroix, 10**

 **Iris' Group**

 **District 8 Male**

It's doing it again.

I stare at the mirror as it doesn't all the way move with me. It's about 2 seconds behind me. Why does it keep doing this? Is it stalking me? Do I need to tell mom?

I stare closer, and as I get closer to the glassy surface, so does the other face in the reflection. Then it winks at me.

 _I did not wink_.

I back up against the wall, and the reflection follows suit, copying me. He's taunting me with a smirk as he follows my hand down into my pocket, and pull out the stone that Sashen gave me so long ago. I keep it because it really does calm me down.

"Baptiste, honey," mom says from outside the bathroom door. "Your time is up in the bathroom. It's time for your sister to go in."

"Yeah, Bap. Let's go!" says Ellie. I can already picture her shaking her head as she stands at the door.

I try to cross for the door, but the reflection is giving me a scary face. I can't bring myself to do it. I just can't.

"Mom… he's back, and he's doing it again."

"Oh my gosh, I'm never going to be able to do my hair." says Ellie with a whine.

"Bap, it's just a reflection. You'll be okay."

I stand in fear against the bathroom wall still unable to move. It's been about 20 minutes, and we usually leave for school in about 15 minutes. Ellie's continuous knocks on the door remind me that not only am I holding up the line, but I am still the scaredy cat of the group.

"Do you think he knows?" asked Katarina as she and Ellie are talking in the hallway.

"Knows about what?" asked Ellie, confused.

"The mole people. They live in the drain, and they come out every morning around this time. One time I was peeing, and they tried to take me, but I punched him in the face and he ran away."

"Bap, did you hear about the mole people?" asked Ellie loudly.

 _The mole people?!_

I run to the door and throw the lock open. Ellie and Katarina are staring at me with a smile on their faces. It dawns on me now that there probably weren't any mole people to begin with, and everything they were talking about was just a lie.

"Th-that was really mean." I say, staring at them both.

Ellie shrugs and walks by me to get to the bathroom. She grabs her brush and begins to run the brush through her long brown hair with it. Mom is sitting on the couch when I walk out of the bedroom hallway, and motions for me to come and talk to her.

"Bap, we really need to talk about why you're so scared."

"M-m-mom. It's not fair. They all make fun of me. They try to scare me, and i-i-it's not fair."

"You're right." she says.

She turns to face me on the couch, and grabs my hands in hers. I look down at the couch cushion and frown. This is it. She always gives me this lecture. She always tells me it's in my head, and that I can fix it if I want. I have the power to do so, but I don't. I don't know why I'm this way. I don't know why I'm so...broken. Is that the word?

"Bap-" starts mom.

"Mom, I'm broken. There isn't any use…"

She stops me and brings me into a hug. I initially tense up at the first impact of the hug. I don't like it when girls touch me. Not that I like it when boys touch me either, but especially when girls touch me, I just feel really uncomfortable.

"You might not be a Dupree by blood." she says as she pulls apart from me. "However, you're my child. I don't raise broken. We all have our problems. We all need to work out a few of our kinks, however, as long as you're moving forward you're unstoppable. Moving forward is actually the opposite of broken, Bap."

I'm still broken. There isn't any amount of pep talks in the world that could make me think otherwise. We've talked about this so many times, and she says the same thing every time. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for Mom. However, it's like...well. It's like I can never have a bad day because having a bad day is "unDupree like".

"Okay, mom." I say.

"Good. Kids, we are loading up!"

We are having Aunt Macks game today. I'm excited to know what is going to happen, but at the same time, I'm not a fan of surprises. So this should be interesting in itself all together. One by one my siblings start to enter the living room with their backpacks. The girls, who usually wear dresses, are all in sports clothes. Their tennis shoes are brand new looking, due to the fact that most of them always wear sandals.

"Alright." says mom. "Roll call."

Mom makes us do a roll call every time we leave the house, because when Katarina was 4, we left her at the museum.

"Ellie!"

"Kat!"

"Keanu!"

"Nick."

"Amandus."

"Hazel!"

"Bap." I say quietly.

"Great. Let's get to stepping." says mom as we walk out of the house.

* * *

 _Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb._

 _Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,_

 _Until you find me there and lead it back_

* * *

 **Hazel Patch**

 **Iris Group**

 **Reawakened Tribute #11**

"Bernie, look!" says a female voice I've yet to hear. "This one is weird!"

I hear the man, whom I suppose is Bernie, chuckle and then hear paper begin to turn. I suppose I should be feeling fear right now, but I can't. I can't really feel anything honestly, I'm just… here? I guess, it doesn't exactly bother me.

"Alexithymia! That's new!"

I'll translate. I don't feel emotions. You should feel shocked for me, because when I found out, I sure didn't.

My eyes open, and suddenly I'm staring up at a bright white ceiling. The room surrounding me is bright green.

"Hello, Stella."

"Creepy old man, noisy nurse." I say with a head nod.

"I bet you're freaking out right now, aren't you, sweetie?"

"No. Not really." I say.

"We are just going to put this watch on you, and press some buttons."

"Eh." I say.

* * *

 **10 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Hazel Patch, 10**

 **Iris' Group**

 **District 8 Female**

"The game is simple." says Aunt Mack.

The group continues to talk over her. We are outside in a field. There is a bunch of trees on the outskirts of the field, and there are cones around the trees. The group continues to talk as Aunt Mack continues to get more and more frustrated, and then Aunt Chanel steps up.

"HEY YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE MONSTERS! LISTEN THE HECK UP!"

The whole group stops and we all stare at each other. The camera crew is walking around us, and we are waiting for the further instructions as to what we are doing in the hot sun. Aunt Chanel steps down from the position that she was standing in, and allows Aunt Mack to take over.

"We will be participating in a mock Hunger Games." she says. "Except no one will actually die." she takes a stabbing look at Honora and Ares who roll their eyes. "During this game you will have a partner. You and your partner will each have a belt with a ribbon attached to it. Your goal as the game progresses is to be the last team with at least one of the ribbons. We have marked off an area in the woods that will allow you to be skillfully hidden like you've learned in Huck's class, as well as confined to an area."

We all roll our eyes. This is the farthest thing from exciting that we thought. Honestly though, I'm not exactly sure what excitement would feel like. I can just tell that the others aren't so I should look like it too.

"We have your paired off on this list. Come look at the clipboard." says mom as she holds it up.

I watch as everyone is crowded around the list. There is some excitement, and then some not so exciting faces. When the line finally clears up, I walk over to the board and see who I'm paired with.

 _Caius and Honora_

 _Orion and Katarina_

 _Ares and Sylvia_

 _Wyatt and Sashen_

 _Vera and Jayanti_

 _Baptiste and Carmen_

 _Joseph and Ava_

 _Jinx and Keanu_

 _Nickle and Tycho_

 _Shawn and Julian_

 _Edith and Amandus_

 _Artemis and Ellie_

 _Hazel and Jade_

If I was able to feel what excitement felt like, I doubt that I would feel it now. Jade is not the kind of person someone like me gets along with. She's bubbly, and princessy, and quick to anger. I just really don't appreciate it.

"Oh my gosh, I'm with the freaking weirdo!" screams Jade in anger.

Sylvia touches her shoulder and squeezes it. "It's okay, girl. Let's just promise not to kill each other in this."

"Deal."

I was not part of that deal. If we are playing how we are going to be playing in the arena, Ares and Sylvia are both people at the top of my target list. Sylvia because she's loud, and Ares because he's an actual threat.

Jade walks over to me, and rolls her eyes. She doesn't say anything as she breathes a heavy sigh and then looks at me. Anger, or whatever she's feeling, runs through her and she stomps her foot on the ground.

"I'm not pleased." she says. "This is not what I had in mind. I had no intention of spending my day with stupid weirdo."

"This isn't my idea of exciting either, Jade." I say.

"Now tributes, follow us into the forest, where the game will begin."

They lead us down a dirt path that is filled with various hiding spots. Aunt Mack is going on about how we need to pick the strategy that we are going for in the course of this game. Are we going to be the hiders? Are we going to be the aggressors? Are we going to be the ones that are quiet, and slip through the cracks? We definitely won't be the quiet ones with little Miss. Mad-at-the-world.

"Take your positions on our mock pedestals." which is really just hoola hoops.

We walk towards a random hoola hoop, and Sylvia and Ares are quick to join the one next to us. They nod and smile at us, as they are preparing to run for the trees and motion for us to follow.

 _Oh, we will definitely follow._

They hand us a remote looking device with all of our names on it. Currently all 26 of our names are lit up on the remote, but if you press a name, the name disappears on the light.

"Those remotes will let us know who is still in the game. Once you and your partner lose the game, you HAVE to come back and find us. If not you'll have five extra questions on a test. No cheating either. We have cameras." says Chanel with a smile.

The countdown ends and we all begin running for the trees. The first thing I do is reach for Ares' ribbon, which yanks off with ease. He turns around in honest shock, as I reach for Sylvia's and yank hers off. She looks at me with anger and then pushes me.

"Have you lost your mind?!" she screamed.

"No." I say. "This is a game, and you were the best team. You needed to be taken out."

"I can't believe you!" says Ares as tears are welling up in his eyes. He looks to be very frustrated. Seeing him like that makes me glad that I don't know what it feels like to be that way.

Jade stares at me in shock, and then grabs my hand. "Come on, we need to keep moving." she says as she presses the buttons for both Sylvia and Ares.

It takes about an hour for more lights to start dwindling down. When we finally get to the point where there are five teams left, I'm not surprised because what is that emotion, but I can't believe that Jade and I are still in the game.

"So we just need to beat Caius, Joseph and Ava, Artemis, and Wyatt." says Jade as she is staring at the remote. "Wait, Artemis is down."

We are walking around the forest when we hear awful loud voices coming from the other side of a clearing.

"We are so close to winning!" says Honora as she is dancing around the trees.

"This is troublesome." says Caius. "I didn't want it to take this long."

I hold up a finger indicating to Jade to make sure she is quiet. We are creeping up behind them when all of a sudden Caius turns around.

"Ugh, this is like the 6th team we've ran into."

"Stand back and let me handle them." says Honora.

"Yeah, we saw how well that worked out for you." says Caius pointing to her ribbon, or lack of her ribbon.

She looks at him in hurt and anger, and that's when I reach out and yank Caius' ribbon. He turns and looks at me with anger and shock, and then starts to jump up and down in a heat of anger.

"ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME? NO. NO. NO. NO. NO!"

I don't bother to stop and stare at him. Jade is suppressing laughter as she skips away in glee clicking Caius' name off of the remote.

"Who's left?" I ask.

"Wyatt, and Joseph and Ava." she says. "Wait. Actually, just Wyatt."

We travel around the forest looking for Wyatt. We don't hear anything, and after wandering around the forest for 20 more minutes we make our way back to the original starting point. We see Wyatt and Sashen there, Aunt Mack is standing in the center smiling as me and Jade approach the circle they have in place.

"Tributes, begin!" she says running out of the way.

Wyatt springs into action and slams himself into Jade. Mom jumps at the sight of another child hurting another, but then Chanel grabs ahold of her and calms her down. She was going to have to face this one day soon, anyway.

I join in the fight as he is trying to get on top of Jade, but she is kicking and screaming.

"I'm sorry, but this is wildly inappropriate!" screams Jade as she knees him in the groin. He goes down, and we both run towards him to pull his ribbon when there is a tug on Jade's. We all forgot that Sashen was even here. Now I see how their group was so effective.

Jade turns around and launches herself at Sashen, who runs in the opposite direction and screams. While I reach down and grab Wyatt's ribbon. Before I get the chance to pull, he has mine in his hand to.

"Looks like we are in a stand still." he says.

"Not really." I shrug as I yank on his ribbon and it falls to the ground.

He stares at me in shock and then looks up at Aunt Mack.

"Tributes, I give you the winners of the mock games! Jade VanBelle and Hazel Patch!"

 **Well that was the second group from Iris! I apologies for the late update. I got hooked on a TV show called the Fosters? Anyways, let me know what you think.**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	11. Tribute Intros:Amandus, Ellie and Nickle

**Guys, I promise I'll get more frequent with the updating. It's been a little bit of a struggle balancing free time/binge watching shows that I can't during the year, but the good news is since I have no life I'm all caught up. Lol oops.**

* * *

 _You played me like a piano._

 _You made it sound pretty stringing me along._

 _I fell for every note._

 _I guess I didn't know it was heartbreak song._

 _I'm not a stupid girl, I should have known._

 _I let you play me like a piano._

* * *

 **Ellie Zweigle**

 **Reawakened Tribute #12**

 **Iris' Group**

Why am I wet?

I hear noises that sounds like they're far away. There is a bright light in my eyes, and I'm definitely underwater. Almost as if I'm swimming.

When the bright light goes away, the first thing I notice is I'm in a tank. The tank is full of some light purple liquid, and I have tubes going up my nose. When I realize that they're in my eye, I immediately start choking, because who wouldn't freak out when they're having various tubes go down their esophagus?

I trusted them. I remember that much. I remember Zach and Emmie ran forward to get supplies leaving me on the edge of the forest, and that's when Emmie turned around threw something. I was surrounded by flames. They were whipping around me, and they were closing in quick. She laughed and walked away like it was no big deal.

 _My death was not a big deal._

"Ellie can you hear me?" ask a man in a white lab coat. I wonder why I'm in the hospital. Did I not die? I nod my head, because you can't exactly talk to a man when you're underwater, and your only source of oxygen is coming from tubes in your body.

"I need you to look down at your hands, Ellie. Do you see any burns on them?"

I look down at my hands, there is a bit of scarring, but there isn't any burns per say, especially with how the flames were whipping around me, I should be charred and boiled.

I nod my head no, and he smiles. He begins to drain the purple liquid, and the tubes begin extracting themselves. I don't remember having that in year 7. I feel like that's something we would see.

"Ellie, I need you to hold out your wrist. The solution made it to where your burns are gone, but I need to do this quickly if you want hopes of not scarring. Your skin will shrink so it'll be condensed and-"

"Okay?" I say, sticking out my wrists.

He slaps a watch onto my wrist and presses a button, and I'm surrounded by whirls of colors. I feel as if I'm flying, and then I remember my life.

"Let the 7th annual Hunger Games begin!" says the announcer as the timer dings off.

"Mom, I'm so happy to FINALLY not be the other girl!" I say to my mom.

"It's a girl." and I'm staring into my mothe-

* * *

 **10 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Ellie Zweigle, 10**

 **Iris' Group**

 **District 10 Female**

I wake up to a loud scream. It shakes the entirety of the house, and is ear splitting to my ears. This is so not the way that I wanted to wake up.

We all run to the bathroom and see Katarina standing in the mirror of the bathroom. She is jumping up and down, and looking super mad. We all just kind of stare at her. It's two hours before the rest of us normally get up. Has she lost her mind?

"MOM, I HAVE A RED THING ON MY FACE. WHAT THE HECK IS THE RED THING?!"

"Katarina that's a pimple." says mom as she sighs and throws her head back.

"A WHAT?!"

Ha, she deserves that. Don't get me wrong, I love Kat, but she's a little bit of a jerk. I'm on her good side, and even then sometimes she gets a little crazy with me. Waking me up two hours early though is not a way to make me sympathetic towards her.

"Can we go back to sleep now, or?" ask Hazel

"We are already all up." says mom. "Kat, you'll just have to share your bathroom time today. I'll make us a hot breakfast."

"Wait, wait, wait." I say angry. "So because she lost her mind, we all have to suffer for it?"

"Gee, thanks, L." says Kat.

"You know I'm not kidding." I say looking at her, and mom.

Mom rolls her eyes and motions for us to go back to sleep. She says that she'll still make us a hot breakfast, and we can all get up at our normal times.

Walking back to my bed is annoying though. I already know that I'm not going to get any sleep going back in that room. I already woke up, I'm not one of those lucky people that can fall asleep on cue.

"Night, L." says Hazel as she tucks herself in under the covers.

I've been thinking a lot about the Hunger Games lately. What is this all about? Out of all children in Panem, why were we chosen? What makes us so special. I, of course, will win. I have no time for all these other people. I'm not scared of them, I'm not scared of any of them.

Some people think they'll beat me, but they're just wrong.

Twenty minutes of me closing my eyes, and praying to the sleep gods that they will grant me slumber, and I hear the door crack open. Kat is standing in the in the doorway using the light of the hallway to hold outfits up to herself and then nods her head as she throws it to the floor.

I've never seen her routine. It's interesting to sit back and watch. The look of desperation to look nice falls on her face, as she is consistently second guessing her outfits. She holds up a teal dress with a white bow around the waist. It's pretty.

"That's a nice one." I say looking at her.

She jumps as she didn't know I was still awake. Hazel's snores are still filling the room as she is knocked out. Kat crosses over to the room, and sits down next to me on my bed.

"I'm sorry I woke you guys." she whispers as she looks sad.

"Don't be, those lazy cows needed to get up anyways."

She laughs, and it's nice to see her laugh. I go out of my way to make her smile, because honestly, she deserves it. She's such a sweet person. She's my best friend, my sister, my confidant. I tell her everything, and though I do get a tad upset with her, and that happens often, I wouldn't trade her for anything.

"Still though, I know I can be dramatic."

I bring her in for a hug. I smile as she eases into it.

"You're my sister, they can all eat mud."

We laugh until we hear Hazel start to stir in her sleep, and then we try and quiet down.

"Let's go see if mom needs help." I say.

* * *

 _Hey dad look at me_

 _Think back and talk to me_

 _Did I grow up according to plan?_

 _And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do?_

 _But it hurts when you disapprove all along_

* * *

 **Nickle Parks**

 **Reawakened Tribute #13**

 **Iris' Group**

 _I'm sorry dad, I tried._

Those words still ring into my head as a white light flies into my eyes. Where the heck am I? Did I not just die in the Hunger Games? I thought for sure I was a goner. Wait, what if I was a goner, and I'm actually just in Heaven right now?

The bright light disappears from my eyes, and looking around this room I frown. If this is Heaven, people on earth have a hell of a lot of explaining to do. This is a complete let down.

"Hello?" I call out from the bed. I'm in a bright purple room, and the colors of the couch, which is green, it's a real eye sore. No one comes into the room as I call, so I decide to get up and head towards the door.

I walk out into the hallway into what has to be the busiest hallway I've ever seen. There are surgical beds flying left and right, doctors are screaming and patients are wailing, then there is me. I'm just horrified.

You think being a career you'd be used to seeing blood. I love the games, don't get me wrong. They are what I dreamed about for so long. However, I'm a little squeamish when it comes to the gorey stuff. I never saw it fair to someone if I just surprised them and made it a super rude and gruesome death. I always wanted to warn them. I always did warn them.

A nurse in a bright orange scrub uniform notices me, and her eyes widen. She runs me into a room, and a dark skinned lady with a stroller full of babies is running down the hall.

"YOU HAD ONE JOB! TO KEEP THEM IN THEIR ROOMS!" screams the stroller lady.

She has a certain intensity about her that makes me nervous, and I run back into my room. To my horror, not only does orange scrub run in carrying a weird watch thingy, but stroller lady also walks in.

"Ms. Dupree I'm sincerely sorry for this, I had to use the restroom-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" she says as she snatches the watch out her hands. "This is the worst day in Panem history, and you are letting the future run around like a chicken with his head cut off!"

"The future?"

"Shut up, Nickle!" says psycho stroller lady slapping the watch on me. She presses a button, and then everything starts spinn-

* * *

 **10 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Nickle Parks, 10**

 **Iris' Group**

 **District 4 Male**

"Now, we are in the last phase of this simulation test." says Uncle Huck as he strolls around the room. The simulation test are fun, but at the same time nerve wracking. You're graded on how well you do. If you place in the top 5, you get an A. Top 10 gets a B, and so on so forth. We are in the top 6 right now. If I can knock out one more tribute I keep my perfect score.

There is a special eyewear we have to wear that generates where we are in the arena. It's a virtual reality headset, and it's probably just about the coolest thing I've ever seen. The arena that we are currently in is a clock arena. At different times, certain mutts and traps get released. They say that this was one of the most popular ever. I don't see why though. You just stay out of the way of the clock hand.

The final 6 is Wyatt, Ares, Honora, Kat, Joseph, and me. None of us even know how Kat made it this far, but she seems to be doing well. Definitely making her way through everything she needs to. The beaches that they use to keep the time on the clock are wide. I can make out two figures going at it, and then I turn my hearing to the classroom noise, rather than the arena noise. Honora and Ares are going at it again, and all I have to do is stay out of the other tributes way until one of them gets eliminated.

"Now, the rest of you are in a great situation." says Uncle Huck. "You get to ride your way into the finale. Can you guys pull it off? Will the winner of this fight between Honora and Ares be the ultimate Victor of these games?"

Something flying close to my head jerks me back into the reality of the games going on. I turn and see Joseph sitting there smiling at me.

"It's time for some payback." he says as he runs at me.

I am the reason it's the final 6. Ava was with Joseph when I threw a knife and it hit her in the head. Her hologram disappeared and I heard Joseph let out a monster yell, and started to chase after me. I thought I got away, but apparently I didn't.

"You don't have to do this." I say staring at him. "We can still get our A. All we have to do is let Honora and Ares duke it out."

"You killed Ava, and that's not acceptable."

"She's still sitting right next to you when you take this goggles off, I bet."

"Probably." says Joseph as he runs at me.

He tackles me into the sand, and I begin to get a face full of the grains as I take a sharp inhale. I have to remind myself that I am not actually experiencing the sandy, but sitting in a incubator with Ares sitting next to me.

I flip over and kick him off of me, and he flies backwards. He clearly has a hard time distinguishing that this isn't a real fight, because he is hardcore struggling to get the heck up after I kicked him. I get on top of him, and allow him to catch his breath before talking.

"I-"

I'm interrupted by a cannon fire, and then Ares is screaming next to me. I look up and see Honora on the other side of the arena jumping up and down and smiling. She turns to me and Joseph and then gets a glint in her eyes. She runs towards us, and is speeding her way across the rocks.

I look at Joseph and he nods. We decide that we are going to take her out, because honestly I'm tired of Honora always placing within the top 3 when we have this test. She can have fifth for a change.

Wyatt appears out of nowhere, and tackles her to the ground. She is shocked as he plunges the knife into her heart, and I hear a high pitch scream from outside of the virtual arena, and in the classroom.

"I did not see that coming." says Uncle Huck as I hear a incubator door opening and Honora running out of it.

"THIS ISN'T FAIR!" she screams.

"Haha!" says Ares.

Tuning back into the arena, I see Wyatt has already made his way over to the beach front, and is wrestling with Joseph. I begin to plan my attack when the words _GAME OVER_ , appear on my screen. I press the reply button, and see Kat sneaking my behind me, and plunging a knife into my back.

Good for her, she needs the up in rankings.

The entire class watches on the projector as Joseph and Wyatt duke it out. To our surprise Joseph overtakes Wyatt, and he appears out of his incubator enraged, and then the unthinkable happens.

Joseph is jumping up and down in happiness, as Kat sneaks up behind him, and does the exact same thing she did to me. Kat just won the simulation.

"Well, tributes, I do believe we have a Victor." says Uncle Huck as Kat appears with a huge smile on her face from her incubator.

"SHE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!" screams Wyatt at the top of his lungs.

"Yet I killed the boy who killed you?" she said tauntingly. "Yeah, I didn't do _anything_."

Wyatt is about to respond when Uncle Huck steps in between the two of them.

"Now guys, where did our final 5 go wrong?"

Ava is the first to raise her hand. If the Hunger Games was a written test, Ava would be the victor every time.

"Joseph got to cocky towards the end."

"As well as Honora." says Vera with a smile.

"Shut up." says Honora.

"Guys back on track!" says Uncle Huck. "Joseph and Honora, your siblings and cousins are right. You celebrated the win before you actually got it. Don't do that. Wyatt, you just need to work a little harder at hand to hand combat. Nickle, observancy is key. You were in this room rather than the arena. That's the difference between Kat winning this game, and her not. Kat, your mom will be proud. It's your first win."

Kat beams as she goes back to her desk, and plants a seat. Ellie is close behind. I'm just upset. This was my simulation.

 _Oh well Nickle, at least you get to keep your perfect score._

* * *

 _Crowded hallways,_

 _Are the loneliest places._

 _For outcast and rebels._

 _And anyone who just dares to be different._

* * *

 **Amandus Porter**

 **Reawakened Tribute #14**

 **Iris' Group**

 _I was so quiet._

Or at least I thought I was. The girl from District 1 knew better though. She knew, she _knew,_ that I was close. I should have sensed it sooner. I should have payed closer attention.

But I didn't. I didn't and I ended up with a freaking mace against my face. Now I don't even know where I am. Or better yet, why am I alive after getting a mace swung at my face.

"He remembers. Look at his face." says a female voice as she is rather close to me.

"This formula must work a lot worse for the kids that are from the newer games."

"He had a shorter time to be dead. It's probably easy to recall when he died."

 _Dead?_

I feel a hand clamp on my wrist, and a circular object appears around my wrist. I'm to scared to move, I can't move, I can't breathe.

Then I-

* * *

 **10 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Amandus Porter, 10**

 **Iris' Group**

 **District 9 Male**

Well, that simulation today was a total bust. However, being 24th place has it's advantages. I managed to sneak into the backpack closet in Aunt Chanel's room. I found some awesome goodies! There was a lot of cool mechanical pencils, and Jayanti had a silver coin! It was super cool, so I took it.

I don't normally steal, but I was so mad. Sylvia ran right at me during the bloodbath, and pushed me down. I ejected before she got the stat of killing me. She doesn't deserve that number.

"Kids can you gather in the auditorium."

We gather up our lunch totes and drop them in the bucket. Walking out of the cafeteria and into the auditorium, we all know something big is going to happen.

"We have some announcements to make." says Uncle Huck as he stands on the stage at the front of the room. Aunt Chanel, Mack, and mom are all surrounding him. It's a mix of excitement and sadness as they stare at us.

"As you know, all of you will be 11 next year." says Aunt Mack excitedly. "So it's time to choose an elective you'd like to get better at. So we are giving you the option to sign up today. We are even bringing two new teachers on board!"

We all gasp. It's been five years of being in this academy, and we have never had to worry about an adult that hasn't been in the family.

"Please welcome them now! Mr. Obsidian and his sister, Ms. Caridee!"

A tall dark skin man walks out onto the stage followed by a girl with dark skin, but not quite as dark as his. She has really pretty hair, and her face is shaped like a heart. He has no hair, and he's scary looking. I do not want to take his class at all.

"Hello Children, we are super excited to get to work with you over the next few years." says Obsidian.

"Yes, totally." says Caridee not nearly as enthusiastic.

"We brought them on board to help with two very important categories. Perception, and group mentality understanding. You have to know the people you're around, and these two are trained in not only body language, but psychology!"

"Those are a lot of big words I don't even understand." says Vera as she throws her head back and sighs.

"Now, another reason we called you back in here is for the rankings."

A projector screen starts to fall down on the stage, and the light comes on. On it is a list of all the tributes, and according to this year and the previous ones, where they would fall in the Hunger Games.

Victor: Honora/Wyatt

2nd: Honora/Wyatt

3rd: Ares

4th: Joseph

5th: Nickle

6th: Hazel

7th: Orion

8th: Shawn

9th: Caius

10th: Katarina

11th: Sylvia

12th: Jade

13th: Keanu

14th: Artemis

15th: Carmen

16th: Vera

17th: Julian

18th: Ellie

19th: Edith

20th: Ava

21st: Baptiste

22nd: Jinx

23rd: Tycho

24th: Jayanti

25th: Sashen

26th: Amandus

Well I can't say I didn't see that coming. I don't do particularly well in the simulations. It kind of sucks. I feel like the kids at the top of the list have it easy. They just seem to get this stuff. The kids at the bottom have to work harder, and it's more difficult on us.

"Keep in mind please that these rankings are not how you have to do." says Aunt Mack. "This is very much a system that can change. So people at the top, don't get comfortable, and people at the bottom don't lose hope."

"We are all so proud of you, and we can't wait until next year so we can start all over again." says mom.

"We are excited for this next year as well to work with some new students." says Obsidian as he waves to us.

Well I guess I'll just have to work extra hard for this next year. I can't come in last place. If anything, I can't come in last place.

 **Keep in mind this wasn't grammar checked. It's 2 in the morning, and I just wanted to get this out. Anyways, I'm so sorry this is late, I need to step this up if I want to get this to the good stuff. Remember that these rankings are really what you should be expecting. They change hella lots by the time these kids are 18.**

 **Do you recognize any bad guys?**

 **Next time you seem them they'll be 14! Wow, they grow so fast ;)**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	12. Tribute Introductions: Shawn,Jade,Wyatt

**Well, we are on our second to last group, and this group only has 6 POVs, so that means it's only two chapters! Ayeeee. I also decided, since the Capitol tributes never actually like, died, they'll be no reawakening chapter. It'll just go straight into their year that they are in.**

* * *

 _Here's the situation:_

 _Been to every nation_

 _Nobody's ever made me feel the way that you do_

 _You know my motivation_

 _Given my reputation_

 _Please excuse me, I don't mean to be rude_

 _But tonight I'm loving you._

* * *

 **Shawn Wheel**

 **Reawakened Tribute #15**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

Well that's a headache.

I also don't know where I am, which can mean either I had a wild party the night before, or something is really wrong. Wait, I couldn't have been at a party. I was at the Hunger Games. Holy freaking crap, I WON THE HUNGER GAMES.

"Spare no applause people. Your Victor is here." I say under my breath.

My headache starts to calm down, and I start to notice that there are other people in this room. I don't think they have realized I woke up, because they are talking about something I don't think I'm supposed to hear.

"It's like they wanted me to lose my mind. Picking a tribute that fell off the platform early? What is this? How am I supposed to rebuild a human. They didn't even bother to grab him before he fell. They just let him fall, swept up the pieces and handed them over. Here, reattach this dead dude."

Man, whoever he reattached I feel bad for. I bet it was that District 6 girl, she was always a little bit flakey. I think she might have gotten scared once the buzzer sounded.

"Yeah, well this tribute sure did have a lot to lose. He actually had a pretty decent job back in 9." says a female voice.

 _Wait, 9?!_

It was then that I realized that I had no feelings in my legs. I crack my eyelids open a little, and notice that my legs are open on the operating table. The veins and muscles are all over the place, and none of them are attached to my body. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. I can't be the one that died on the platform. I was the Victor. I won this whole game. This was my year!

"Who ended up winning this games? The games was a giant board game right?" ask the doctor.

"Yes, it was a giant board game." says the nurse. "I think it was the girl from 6 if I remember correctly."

"You've got to be freaking kidding me." I say out loud.

They both look at me freaking out, and then jump for the sedative that is on the counter. I try to fight them off of me. I have so many questions, so many things to know and find out! Without your legs though, it makes life a bit hard.

"Don't worry kid, we'll have you up and moving in no time." says the nurse as my vision starts to get fuzzy and I drift away.

* * *

 **14 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Shawn Wheel, 14**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

 **District 9 Boy**

"Honora, I know I tell you this often, but damn girl, you're looking _fine_ today."

She rolls her eyes. Her and her gang of evil mean witches are currently walking towards their seats that they take in the cafeteria. It's funny, because if these girls didn't grow up together, I don't think any of them would be friends. Jinx and Vera just needed a leader, and that so happened to be Honora. Ava tags along because she's dating Joseph, and cool boys have to date cool girls. Carmen and Artemis are there due to career status? Whatever that means. We are all technically careers.

Directly to their left is the table of frat boys. Ares, Julian, Nickle, Joseph, and Wyatt. Their conversations consist of which of these girls have the best, uh, assets and sometimes if they're feeling extra competent they'll discuss important things. For example, is Joseph getting some? Are they still sneaking out to go to the bar tonight? They are pretty much celebrities after all. With the nation watching us grow up, one can only not abuse their birth right of celeb power for so long.

In front of that table sits the kids that are cool, but in their own group cool? If that makes sense. Like, they aren't the mean girls, or the frat house. Coed matures? Anyways, that group consist of Jade, Caius, Sylvia, Sashen, Orion, and me.

"You know one day they're going to just snap. You're going to end up with a fork in your neck." says Jade. She turns to me and smiles. "I can't wait."

"Baby, you know you want to get with this."

"Gross," she says. "I saw you in your MegaRanger tighty whities when we were kids. You're basically my brother."

"Eh." I say. "Our kids will still come out normal." I say with a wink.

Caius bust out laughing, and Sylvia raises her eyebrows in surprise. Jade responds with throwing a grape at my head, and before I can even respond mom is already on me.

"Have you two lost your minds?!" she ask us giving us the, "if you don't stop right now, I'm going to shove my foot so far up your butt you'll taste it" look.

"He's being gross, mom!" says Jade in response.

Mom gives me a glare, and I know that it's time to quit. That seems to be a common occurrence in this "family". It's weird. We all know that we aren't related. Like, there is no way that a hispanic woman, mom, can have 4 white kids, a black child, and a hispanic child. It didn't take us long to realize that we weren't actually siblings. It was a heart breaking conversation for mom.

"Guys, is it just me or did my pizza just move?" ask Orion as he stares at the pizza in shock.

"Shut up, we all told you this morning to pack a lunch." says Sashen with teasing smile. You know, I've been here for what, nine years now? Anyways, nine years and I never noticed how pretty she was.

I guess you could call me the group flirt. It's ironic. Most of us tend to shy away from couple stuff. You know, as the outcome is certain heartbreak. Even if one half of us survives, the other half will have to die in order for that to happen. Joseph and Ava are strange about it though.

"We'd rather be happy and in love while we can." They say all the time. I call bullshit. Joe wants some, and Ava just wants to feel wanted.

That's all we all want. I know we were dealt a shitty hand. This isn't something that I was wanting to happen. I didn't wake up one day and say, "Yeah, I think I'm going to go enter a games where I can potentially die, and just you know, rock it." I was chosen. It isn't fair, but it isn't exactly something we can change.

People like me don't get to win the Hunger Games. People like me are the ones who die first or second. I've come to that realization for awhile. I had a peak when I was 10, but it's all been downhill from there.

"I'm off to piano, guys." says Jade as she gets up from the table.

"Damn girl, if I can watch you go away that's fine."

"Try not to drool." she says with an annoyed tone.

* * *

 _R-E-S-P-E-C-T_

 _Find out what it means to me._

 _R-E-S-P-E-C-T_

 _Take care, TCB_

* * *

 **Jade VanBelle, 14**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

 **Capitol Female Tribute**

Running my hands across the keys is one of the most relaxing parts of my days. I feel the music. I know that sounds weird. It's not exactly something that most people feel. I do however.

I bet you can probably tell that I don't have the best life. I'm pretty much destined to die in an arena that has been planned since I was baby, but hey we all have our struggles right?

I love the piano because of the different combinations you can make on the notes. There are some that work perfectly together, and there are some that clash horrifically. In a way it's just like people. We have our people that click, and our people that don't.

"That was really good."

Speaking of people we don't.

Nickle comes in and is standing next to the piano. He is smiling at me, and I stop playing. I don't particularly like Nickle. I barely like my friend group. So the fact that this idiot is even forcing me to acknowledge his existence is annoying to me.

"I'm sorry, but did I ask you to pull down my panties and blow a compliment up my ass?"

Harsh, I know. That's really the only way to be. I don't believe in this whole social thing that they keep talking to me about. I don't see how me having a friendly environment with someone like Ares would keep him from killing me in the games. If I have a moment to kill someone, it's going to happen.

"Come on now, Jade. You weren't acting like that at the bar two days ago." says Nickle as he scoots closer to me. The distance between us is less than comfortable, and he has the sex appeal of a buzzard's crotch, so I'm not feeling this.

"I was drunk, any idea how that happened? I ordered a tea."

"You know as well as I do. We aren't exactly people that can blend in, Jade."

"I bet." I say with an eye roll.

I close my eyes and begin playing again. I'm not even sure what it is. It's just something that feels right. Mom gets mad at me for always playing. She tells me that if I put half as much effort into training that I did for piano, I could be better than Honora. I don't want to be better than Honora. I doubt that the person that wins this will ever be someone that is at the top of the list at the end of each year. Sylvia has already told me she's taking Wyatt out as soon as possible. Something about it makes me believe it too, she's a little intense.

"Look, Nickle, as much as I would love to sit here and pretend that I care about your babble. I don't have time for this. I don't have a lot of time in her per day, and this is my time to just unwin-"

He places his lips to mine, and a spark of rage fuses through my entire body. Did I not just tell him to leave me alone, and that I'm not interested?! That doesn't mean try harder.

I grab his hand, and place it on the keys. From there I manage to slam the piano cap on top of his hand. He lets out a loud scream, and then looks at me super confused.

"What the heck?! I thought you were playing hard to get?!"

"Yeah, because most girls saying no means kiss me." I say with a annoyed tone. "Girls with faces like mine don't talk to boys with bodies like yours. Your puny, and if we are being honest, you're only in your friend group so that they have someone to make fun of."

"That's not true!"

"But it is," I say as I get up from my piano. "You're a joke Nickle. Nothing that you ever do will change that. Sure you'll make it kind of far in the games. Maybe if you don't annoy the hell out of the people you're aligned with, but I'll be damned if you ever win. Get out of my face."

I try to walk past him, but he grabs ahold of my arm and stops me in my place he spins me around and forces me to look at him.

"You don't talk to me like that!" he says

"Oh please, spare me the respect talk. You just basically forced yourself on me. Now do I have to kick your ass, or are you going to wise up and let me go?"

I'm top of my class at hand to hand combat. It's one of the only ways that I get mom off my back. I've pinned all the boys down. It's all about agility in that. Nothing to do with strength really. What's a strong dude supposed to do if he can't catch you?

"We are talking about this later." he says as he walks past me.

"Yes, dad." I say with a sarcastic tone.

I pull out my phone and start to text Carmen.

 _Nickle just showed me his package._

 _I wasn't impressed LOL._

She'll spread it. I know she will.

I wouldn't call me a vindictive person as much as a person who rights wrongs for myself. I've never liked letting other people handle things for me. It's not something.

"Will Jade VanBelle please report to the front office. Will Jade VanBelle please report to the front office."

Well that didn't take long. Carmen works fast.

Walking down the hall is funny, because people think I actually care. I have my own way of doing things, and the administration just can't see past it. Walking into the office is nothing new for me. I'd like to say that me and Rachel have a pretty tight knit bond.

I walk into her office and sit in the chair across from her desk. I clear my throat to let her know that I was here, and she turns around in her office chair. Her hair is greying, which is weird because she's supposed to be like, what, 30 something?

"Firstly, I'd like to thank you for inviting me into your hideously furnished office. If this is about the sexual harassment don't worry I'm fine, however, I would appreciate it if you were to do something about Mr. 2 centimeters and his impulse-"

"Jade we are more focused on the fact we believe you broke Nickle's fingers."

"Are we forgetting the fact that he forced himself on me? Come on, Rachel. You have to know that that wasn't cool."

"I'm Ms. Callowgwey to you. Yes, it wasn't cool. However, neither is assault."

I roll my eyes. This lady cannot be serious.

"So what am I supposed to do?" I ask angry.

"Apologize." says Rachel as she turns to the window again. Feeling that the conversation was over, I walk out of the room and towards the hallway. I don't even make it five feet before I see Nickle standing against the locker with his hands wrapped up. He is smirking from ear to ear, and he is giving me a look that literally makes me want to explode.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?" he ask in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah," I say trying to sound sympathetic. "I do." I throw him up against the locker, and bounce his head against wall. He winces as I reach down and grab his hand that is wrapped, and also slam it up against the locker.

"I'm sorry that you've made an enemy out of someone so dangerous. Just remember that the games are less than three years away at this point, and I'm a grudge holder."

"I-I-I'm sorry."

"You have no idea how sorry you will be." I say as I walk down the hallway and strut back into the cafeteria right as the bell rings. My friends get up, and Sylvia looks at me concerned. I shrug it off. "I'm okay." I say.

We walk into Iris room where we will begin our first day of long distance weapons. What a bummer. I was in the mood for something to punch.

* * *

 _I like looking hot,_

 _buying stuff they cannot._

 _I like drinking hard,_

 _maxing dad's credit card_

 _I like skipping gym,_

 _Scaring him,_

 _Screwing her._

 _I like killer clothes,_

 _Kicking nerds in the nose._

* * *

 **Wyatt Lane**

 **Reawakened Tribute #16**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

I remember Aliset and her trident. The feeling of the blood dripping out of my body. My own mortality as I realized that this was it. I was officially dying. I don't know why I'm still here. I feel normal. I feel fine. If this is some sort of afterlife, I want no part of it. I want to be left alone, and able to just be at peace.

"Is he fully revived?" ask a female voice. She appears to be right next to me, and I can't see her. There is a blinding light in my eyes, and I can barely make out distinct fuzziness. I have no idea what she means by revived? Is this not the after life? Am I not dead.

"His vitals are back to normal." says a male voice. "However, his consciousness is on him. The machine will be able to bring him back, however, waking up on his own is preferred. If he has no desire to live, he won't make it long this time around."

I gave up. That's what I did. The invisible boy from seven gave up in his Hunger Games. I can't even remember if I cracked the top 5. I don't deserve to be here. If they're reviving tributes, I'm not one that needs to be revived.

"You're better off without me."

My vision returning I see the look of shock on the nurses and doctors face. The doctor smiles sweetly as she walks over to me and puts her hand on mine.

"Hello, Wyatt. How are you feeling."

"Like crap." I say not looking at her. The male nurse walks over and stares sympathetically. I don't deserve it. I'm a waste of the space that this bed could be used for. I'm a horrible person.

"Wyatt, you must have a lot of questions."

"Why am I back?"

"You were chosen. They needed you. They needed someone with your convictions, or at least someone without them."

"You're barking up the wrong tree lady. I don't want to be here."

I notice there is a pen in her pocket of her jacket. If I can get her close enough I'll be able to reach it, and I can end this once and for all.

 _Screw it._ _It's now or never._

Not bothering to walk on the side of caution I reach up and grab the pen. I try to jam it into my neck, when the male nurse grabs my hands. The doctor reaches across the bed, and starts pressing buttons on what looks to be some sort of watch. I hadn't noticed it was on me.

"Wyatt I'm so sorry I-" is the last thing I hear.

* * *

 **14 years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Wyatt Lane, 14**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

 **District 1 Male**

These morons are embarrassingly bad at archery. It honestly can't be that hard to hit a target, I mean what, is it going to run away? Well, actually it very well could run away in a scenario like the games. And essentially that's all they are here, targets. All lined up nicely and ready for my to kill.

"Wyatt, you're up." says Iris as she hands me a bow and arrow. "Remember what we talked about. Line it up, aim it, and shoo-"

I shoot the arrow, and it lands with a thud into the target. Not quite a bullseye, but hey, I didn't want to make them feel to bad about themselves. I turn to face Iris who looks mildly impressed, and the look on terror that sits on the other tributes faces.

 _They know you're going to win._

There isn't any doubt in my mind. Who do I have to worry about? Honora? She's as fickle as the minds of this great nation with her moods. Honora doesn't scare me. _She_ should be scared of _me._ Everyone should be scared of me. They should all want to be me! I'm Wyatt Lane. Future Victor of the first ever Hunger Games.

I already have a ton of sponsors picked up. I've been in the top three placements for pretty much my entire time in this academy. People have watched us grow up, and quite frankly not everyone in this group has what I have. Which is perfection.

I'm not cocky. I'm merely honest. Better people are merely just worth more to the world. The problem is I'm not a better person, I'm _the_ best.

"Is that it? Come on Iris. I thought I'd have a bit of a challenge today."

I hand her back the archery equipment and head back to my group. The boys are all congratulating me, and as they should. It's funny really. If you think about it, their whole lives have been pretty much to help me excel. I already have the order of which I'll pick them off. Nickle has always been a little more defiant, and a real self thinker. I might even take him out in the bloodbath. Followed by Julian, who let's be real, I never did like. Then I would take out Artemis, because she is probably the only one here who I think can beat me. The list goes on, but ultimately I plan on destroying these tributes, and rubbing their face into the ground of their mediocrity and worthless lives.

"Wyatt, you need to be respectful of the other tributes progress." says Iris as she is helping Ava set up her bow and arrow. Joseph is smiling widely, and honestly it's annoying. He has all the makings of being my right hand man if it wasn't for that girl he is infatuated with. I'm all for the ladies don't get me wrong, I mean have you seen Katarina? But I'm not here to make friends, or to be Panem's next best gentlemen. I am here to be the Victor. Which is what I do, and in order to that all of these tributes have to die.

Joseph will go deep with me. He has resilience. I just don't know if Ava will be a liability or a helpful factor in his development.

"She's so beautiful." says Joseph as he stares at her. She takes a shot that misses the whole damn target by at least a mile and a half. That's not me being dramatic either. The girl is an awful shot.

"She's something." I say.

She takes another shot, and at least with this one she makes it kind of close to the target. We sit there and watch, and it takes the girl another 10 minutes to finally get an arrow into the target, and that's not even close to the center. Joseph runs up and congratulates her, and I'm honestly sick to my stomach.

One by one the commoners walk up to the line, and take a shot. One by one I get to analyze where they are as far as progress. I'll be honest. Looking back on the history of the Hunger Games, if we were all in separate games we might have a chance. Especially Sylvia who seems a little more resilient. However, she just doesn't have the desire to back it up.

I have no problem killing these kids. Growing up with them or not, I'm doing the world a favor by winning.

"Alright guys." says Iris. "Go ahead and get changed. We've had a super productive day today. Starting tomorrow we will be meeting in here for over half the day for the duration of your time in the academy. We want you weapon ready. Today was an intro, the rest of these four years are all what you do with it."

 _Yeah, and I'll do everything within my power to make sure that these kids know their places. Which is second through twenty-sixth._

 **Well, I have a number of announcements.**

 **The first of which is we are officially 5 chapters away from the bloodbath. (OH SNAP WHAT?!) Yeah, we have 3 more reaping chapters, then graduation, (which is technically the final training scores), then we have the graduation party, (which is the parade/interviews), then the bloodbath!**

 **The second is that, there are a number of tributes who had their submitter disappear, I know that there is not going to be a review for every chapter, don't get me wrong i'd LOVE that, however, I understand we all have lives. I am getting to the point where I'm picking bloodbaths. So heads up.**

 **Love you guys.**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	13. Tribute Introduction:Tycho,Sylvia,Julian

**Hey guys! It's the last chapter of Mackenzie's group! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly._

 _I'll do what it takes, until I touch the sky._

 _I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change._

 _Breakaway._

* * *

 **Tycho Brunsfeld**

 **Reawakened Tribute # 17**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

"So I'm dead?" I can't believe what this nurse has come out and told me. I mean I don't see it as to far fetched, knowing what the Capitol is capable of, and seeing the kind of things they look at for entertainment. Honestly though, bringing the dead back to life? I would love to see the mechanics behind this whole thing.

The nurse looks at me and nods. She has a faint smile on her face. One that I know is perfected to make me feel as safe as possible. How am I supposed to feel safe when they can do anything they want? Disturbing a dead person's peace? Who does that?

"I don't understand." I respond very quickly. The quiet voice that I've had since I was little comes out of my mouth, and I'm not sure why, but I shudder. Even though I died my voice hasn't changed.

"Well, it's kind of simple." says the nurse as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "You were chosen, Tycho. There was a group of tributes, that for one reason or another, the President saw something in. You will be trained from infanthood, all the way to 18 years old. You'll compete in another Hunger Games, and then you'll have a second chance at life. Isn't that awesome" She ends the explanation of how my life just got ruined for the second time around with a bright and perky tone of voice.

I don't say anything, I just stare at her. This can't be real. This can't be right. I'm dreaming. We actually haven't launched into the arena yet. I didn't take 20th place. All 24 of us are still alive and well, and we will see each other at the cornucopia soon.

"Tycho, I need to put this watch on you." says the nurse as she gets up. She takes my wrist, and with a surprisingly strong grip, holds down my arm.

"What's it do?"

"This will make you a baby again." she says.

"Yeah right." I say "Like that is possi-"

* * *

 **14 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Tycho Brunsfeld, 14**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

 **District 5 Male**

I like to watch. It's more of a survival instinct I guess. I like to watch to make sure that people are who they say they are. My siblings are the opposite. They are very brash. Quick to judge, and that's what someone is. No room for change, no room for someone being able to do something out of character. I see things though.

Sylvia's sweet routine is something I see through. When she talks to Jade, and even Hazel, I see her eyes roll when they turn around. Her anger is something that, in my opinion, will serve her well in the games. She has always been someone that is sneaky.

Wyatt on the other hand, is very forward. There has never been any doubt in my mind that Wyatt is who he says he is. Being from District 1, it's something that he takes on a personal conviction. He is very vibrant, and aggressive. I do my best to stay out his way, but that's not always a possibili-

"Move, Puberty Boy."

Wyatt shoves past me, and plops down onto the couch so he can watch TV. We have to leave for school in 20 minutes, but it seems he's ready for the day. They call me Puberty Boy, because my voice hasn't dropped. At this rate, I don't think it ever will.

"I've asked you to stop calling me that." I say quietly.

"I asked you to stop calling me that." he responds in a voice that is rude, and mocking.

I take a spot on the loveseat. The living room is set up nicely, if I do say so myself. Everyone has a spot, and they all have a desired chair. Mom made sure there was enough space for everyone when decorating her house. When we were 12, she added rooms to the house so we would only be two to a room.

"Leave Ty alone." says Jade as she walks in and sits. "It's not worth it, Ty. Don't argue with him. You know he is a high-key douche."

"That's why you're one of the first people I kill in the bloodbath."

She rolls her eyes and plops down next to him. He smirks as he moves over so she has a little more room. Him and Jade have a weird relationship. They say mean things to each other, but I think they are friends? That is still something I don't understand.

"I'm not excited for Caridee's class today." says Jade as she leans her head back on the couch and pouts. "The girl is so ditzy, and don't even get me started on how her and that horrid girl from 1 bounce back and forth with their stupidity. I can't handle it. Honest."

"You're so dramatic." says Wyatt as he continues to flip through the channels. This is how conversations often go in the house. I'm here, but I'm not. They don't really see me. They just kind of assume I check out, or forget I'm there all together.

"You can't tell me it's not an accurate saying. If you tell me that you can tolerate either of them you're a stone cold liar, Wyatt."

"I just take both of them for what they are, sexy as hell."

"You're such a pig." she says as she hits him with a pillow.

The rest of the group joins us in the living room as we wait for Mom. We have never been late because one of us is running behind. Anytime the group is late, it's because Mom has woke up late, or her alarm didn't wake her up.

"She should be out soon." says Sylvia as she sits next to Jade, filling that couch to capacity. "I just heard her scream about how she'll be late again."

We all laugh, and we all fidgit. Ever since what the Hunger Games is has really dawned on us, we are all kind of awkward around each other. We haven't really broken apart from our mold, and the carefree attitude this house used to have is slowly slipping away.

"I can't handle this." says Wyatt. "It's to quiet."

"Can we make an agreement?" I ask.

"Did you say something Puberty Boy?" ask Wyatt, which warrants another pillow hit from Jade.

"I think we should make an agreement not to kill each other in the arena until we are down to the last six." I say.

The group looks around and stares. I know how these kids think. I see the look in their eyes, and I can already tell what I just said ruffled some feathers. For people like Shawn, it's a sigh of relief knowing that people like Sylvia, or Wyatt wouldn't kill him. For someone like Wyatt, it's probably really annoying because they don't see the point in it.

"It's just that, whether we really think of each other like this or not, we are siblings. Just because Mom isn't technically our mom, doesn't mean that we aren't. You can't tell me that we don't have some sort of affection for one another."

The all kind of just continue to exchange glances. Finally Shawn is the first to speak.

"I'm in." he says.

The other all agree. So the first non-alliance, alliance of the games has been formed. It's time to start planning now who I might want for an alliance.

* * *

 _I'm nuts._

 _Baby I'm mad._

 _The craziest fun, that you've ever had._

 _You think I'm psycho._

 _You think I'm gone._

 _Tell the psychiatrist something is wrong._

* * *

 **Sylvia Hadley**

 **Reawakened Tribute # 18**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

"FUCKING LORENA!"

The nurse stares at me with a shocked expression. I freaking won though! I won, and then I died?! How did the Capitol let this happen?! How did they not bring me back to freaking life when the 18th games were happening rather than now?! It's been like two hundred and something years!

"Listen, Sylvia. We really need you to calm down." says the nurse as she lays her hand on my shoulder. I give her a look of shock and brush her hand off my shoulder.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me."

I'm livid. This isn't an uncommon emotion for me, but I can't help it. I was so close! I can remember the feeling on her dying, of her cannon sounding. The triumphant sound of my Victory shout as I realized that I had won.

It was all seconds too late. They've showed me how the medical team on the hovercraft messed up as they were supposed to pick me up. They were literally seconds away from me being able to survive.

"I demand to be let go." I say as I start unplugging random wires from my body. The nurses in my room, because after I woke up I scared the one that I had. It took five to make her feel safe. Anyways, they are all on me. I don't like it.

"Sylvia, you can't just unplug the wires! There's a process to it!" screams a nurse.

I kick someone in the stomach and they fall over, and I make it out of the bed. As I'm running to the door a giant wall of a man comes in and blocks the entry way.

"We had a feeling you would do this, Ms. Hadley." says the man.

"Move it or lose it, gigantron." I slam my foot into his man parts, and he lets out a loud scream. I crawl under his legs, and I'm halfway down the hall, when all of the sudden I feel a small prick on the back of my thigh.

I look down to see a syringe of yellow liquid draining out into my system. This is not happening. The idiots freaking got me. My body starts to go weak, and the world around me starts to spin. I was so close. So close to getting out, to getting the life I des-

* * *

 **14 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Sylvia Hadley, 14**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

 **District 9 Female**

Caridee has to be the stupidest thing since whoever invented spray can cheese. She consistently forgets things like a black board marker when she tries to write. I can't tell you how many time this ditz has tried to write with her hand.

"Today we are going to talk about something important." she says. The lack of enthusiasm in her voice leads me to believe that it isn't something important. I take pleasure in knowing she hates her job as much as we hate her though.

"We are going to be discussing group mentality. Something that very few of you have thought about. You're going into an arena where you will be put to the ultimate test, and most people couldn't do that alone if you look at past games. Even the career districts needed each other to make it to the end."

She continues to ramble on, and honestly she makes me want to gouge my eyeball out. It's a good thing she's pretty. Without that look of hers, she wouldn't be nearly as successful. However, with that clock for her biology running down like a clock, she better trap a man soon before she runs out of beauty. I say trap, because I can't imagine a man possibly wanting to be with her.

"Who can give me some idea of what a group mentality means?"

"Well, I can give an example?" says Katarina from the far end of the room. Caridee lights up in a way. She isn't used to people responding to her lectures, let alone someone like Kat who is known for fixing her makeup all period.

"Very well let's hear it." says Caridee eagerly.

"How does it feel to be the dumbest teacher in the academy?"

Caridee's eyes narrow and she stares the girl down as she chuckles in the back with her friends. That's why I can't stand Kat. If you're going to be a bitch, do it because you want to be one. Not to impress your annoying as hell friends into thinking you're not annoying.

Caridee walks down the aisle and stands in front of the girl that just insulted her in front of the class. She squats down, and gets eye to eye with Kat, and then says this loud and proud for everyone to hear.

"How does it feel knowing you have a 1 in 26 shot of making it to your nineteenth birthday?"

I bust out laughing at Kat's face, and everyone looks at me confused. I didn't mean to give Caridee credit, because I don't like her either. However that comment was just the right amount of deserved and venomous.

"Look, you guys want me to keep it straight with you? I will." she says. "I may not be the smartest, but something I have is a skillset that you need. If you kids want to survive this is something you'll need to take seriously. Even the strongest tributes fall. This is why you were brought bac-" she stops herself and covers her mouth. Her eyes widen, and she walks over to the wall and presses a button.

Mom, Chanel, Huck, Iris, and Obsidian walk in back to back. We are all really confused as to what is happening right now.

"What's wrong?" ask Iris confused.

Caridee huddled them into a group and whispers something to them. She is seems genuinely worried, and when the parents separate, they all seem worried too. Except Iris, she seems pissed.

"Kat. Here. Now."

The class erupts with a fit of giggles as Kat gets up from her chair, and sulks to the front of the room with Iris. She makes her apologize to Caridee, and the class, and then takes her out in the hallway to talk.

"What did you mean we were brought back?" I ask

"Caridee looks at me confused. She gives me a look that tells me she is trying to hide something and she's not smart enough to pull it off.

"What she meant was that she brought you guys back to her class for a reason. There are so many things you can learn from my sister." says Obsidian genuinely.

He is a much smarter man, but I don't buy what he says either. However, I'll let it slide for now. Whatever it is they are talking about, we will learn about it sooner or later. Obsidian takes a seat in the chair at the front of the room. Caridee smiles at him, in a way that thanks him for staying with the class.

I don't understand the two's relationship. It's a little unnerving. They are always whispering like they have something going on. Something is not right between them.

When class ends, and everyone is heading to Iris' combat class, I couldn't get out of the room faster. Another hour of hearing that ditz ramble on and on. Plus, I like the combat class. It lets me hate punch things, and pretend it's people that I actually hate.

"Hey, walk with me to class?" ask Jade with a smile.

Like her. I hate her. I still remember what she did to me at the mock Hunger Games when we were ten years old. Her and Hazel are dead to me. I will not have betrayal in the real games, and that only proved to me that the two were very capable of it.

"Sure!" I say with a smile so fake you could probably produce a lego. I pack up my bag and purposefully leave my textbook in the desk so I'm able to turn around halfway there and come get it.

We make it halfway down the hallway before I "realize" that I forgot my book, and turn around to get it. I walk down the empty hallway, and look at the rows of lockers. It's a single wall, and we all have lockers that match our personality. I think it's honestly stupid because these people don't need to know who I am to get a knife shoved in their back, but whatever.

"You almost blew it today, Caridee!"

A conversation the two are having before I enter the room sparks my interest. The two seem frustrated with each other, plus he's chewing out Caridee and I'm all for it.

"I'm sorry, Obs." she says apologetically.

"Do you know how hard I had to work to slip the hypnosis plant into Rachel's tea! If you blow that we brought these tributes back from where they came from, you'd be fired instantly. I'd be fired instantly."

"I know that!" she says upset. "I didn't mean to."

"You need to think long and hard about how much this plan means to you. I'm not above putting my sister in a trance. We need to make this work. I will rule this country."

What did I just overhear? This is probably the most interesting thing that has ever happened in my short life here. Nothing exciting ever happens, but the question is what are they talking about? This is something I should keep to myself. Until I figure out this mystery. Where did we come from? Why is it bad if we find out? What the hell is a hypnosis plant?

I knock on the door and two jump up in surprise, and I walk in.

"I forgot my textbook." I say with a smile.

I walk over to my desk, and grab the book. When I leave the room Obsidian closes the door behind me, and I hear him say, "We need to watch her."

* * *

 _I tried so hard_

 _And got so far_

 _But in the end_

 _It doesn't even matter_

 _I had to fall_

 _To lose it all_

 _But in the end_

 _It doesn't even matter_

* * *

 **Julian Octavian Maximus**

 **Reawakened Tribute # 19**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

I'm too angry to talk. I just listen.

Listen to how I died in my original games, how placing second was something that was so impressive. How I showed so much promise, but in the end just fell short. I'm pissed about it. I don't open my eyes, they don't know that I'm awake. It's not something I want to discuss.

Losing to the girl from 5. That's the worst thing that I've ever heard. How does someone that trained their whole life for these games lose to someone who just learned what a knife was the day before entering the arena?

"We need to get the watch on him."

I still refuse to open my eyes and see what's going on, but whatever it is, it's something metal. I hear the clicking of buttons, and then I don't hear anything anymore.

* * *

 **14 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Julian Octavian Maximus, 14**

 **Mackenzie's Group**

 **District 2 Male**

It's easy in weapons training. After that dreadful day where we all kind of waited around, and we assessed what using a real weapon was like, if you can even call a bow and arrow a real weapon, Iris has allowed us a lot of free reign in choosing our own. I've taken a personal liking the spears.

It's great how the spear just flows off of your hand. It's great watching how the blood comes out of the fake tribute dummy that we get to practice on. It's great focusing on how I'll get to do that to these tributes soon in the arena.

I love the games for what they are. It drives me crazy that we don't get to watch the entirety of old games as they happened. But even the clips of the old games that they show us occasionally in the classes we have to take makes me happy. There is something about knowing that one person killed 24 other tributes in the arena. And the great part about this games, is that if I win, I get to potentially kill 26 people, not just 24.

"Hey, are you up for grabbing wings at the spot tonight?" ask Ares as he lifts the weights that he has been working out with for the past twenty minutes for his last set.

"I don't see why not." I say.

Ares is one of those tributes that I can't wait to stab like a shish kabob. He is so arrogant, and so cocky. Killing him would be like getting the tastiest cake in the world, and then adding more frosting to it. I cannot wait.

I've made a list of tributes that I want to kill in order. Sylvia, Honora, Ares, and Wyatt are at the top of that list. Getting the strong people out of the way first, might not be the most redeemable strategy. However, it gets my chances of getting out of the arena to shoot up drastically and I'm all for that.

I walk over to the sword section, because when I'm not using spears I like to use the swords. You never know what the game makers might leave for you at the cornucopia. I see Vera there, and to my surprise she's actually gotten a lot better at using it. She was one of those girls I didn't really expect to do well at anything, but with Iris coaching her, she's done excellent.

"Hey you." I say with a smile.

"Can I help you?" she ask not turning away from her combative dummy.

I smile to myself. Girls that play hard to get are one of my favorite things. Vera is one of the only girls in the academy that doesn't see my for the awesome person that I am. She doesn't treat me like a superstar, and I think that's why I like her.

"I just was looking at the cutest girl in the room slaying at using a sword."

She holds up her hands, and kind of chuckles to herself. She walks over to the bench, and then starts to laugh really really really hard.

"I'm going to have to stop you right here." she says in between her fits and giggles. "Me and you are not a thing, will never be a thing, will never even be considered to be a thing. Don't try and use your "mac-daddy" moves on me. I'm not interested Julian." she says as she gets up and walks to Honora and Jinx. The girls laugh in fits of giggles and stare my way.

Gosh, she makes me boil with anger, but at the same time I'm oddly turned on.

"That's gotta hurt." says Joseph as he walks to the swords and begins to dismantle the training hologram we have the option of working with.

"Shut up, Joseph." I say angry. "No one asked you."

Joseph makes me so angry. He's the golden boy of this academy. When I was twelve I started taking these games serious, and Joseph thinks he's hot stuff because he saw the importance of training a long time ago. If it wasn't for his little obsession with Ava, no one would really like him.

"I'm just saying. Vera isn't the nicest of the bunch. I'm surprised you didn't go for Honora." he says as he puts the death blow onto the hologram and watches it splurt out.

"Honora isn't half the girl that Vera is." I say staring back at them.

The three girls are running on the treadmill, and it makes for a nice watch if you know what I mean.

Joseph gathers the rest of the boys in our group together, and we begin to plan our evening. It's Thursday, and the last day of school is tomorrow. When we are out for summer is really the only time we get to do normal kid things, like go the water parks, and experience cool stuff.

"After we get wings tonight we wanted to sneak out, and go to the skate park." says Nickle. His hands are still in the cast from when Jade totally wrecked him in the music room. I still can't believe that princess ruined him.

"Yeah, I'm down." I say. "It's just letting us know the ranks tomorrow, so we should be good."

I honestly don't have to even be here tomorrow to know that I will be at the top of the list. After my blunder, it was super important for me to prove myself to the boys again. If we want to make an All-Star alliance, we need to pick the best of the best from the girls and boys.

"Cool, so we will go home, and then meet each other back there at 10?" ask Joseph.

"Perfect." we all say.

We continue to go about our training schedule, and we try to finish the workouts assigned to us. We just have a lot of trouble finding the inspiration to do so with it being so close to the last day of school.

I walk over to the machine and punch in my ID number.

"Welcome, Julian. We have a strict and intense workout for you today. Please start on the treadmill."

Perfect, I get to be near my lady.

* * *

 _If you ain't here to party._

 _You picked the wrong place,_

 _You picked the wrong Friday night._

 _If you ain't here to party,_

 _You'll be missing out on the best damn time of your life._

* * *

 **Huckleberry Jenkins, 38**

 **Victor of the 294th Games/ Survival Mentor**

It's important for them to feel like normal kids. So when they plan things like sneaking out, and going to places like the skate park, and to the mall that will inevitably stay open for them because they're low key famous. It makes it hard to bust them for things like that.

We always let them get away with things like that. It's not that they don't need discipline, because trust me, we do that. They just don't do kid things like that often, and as much as we try to make it seem like they aren't, they are kids.

Walking down Rachel's hallway is kind of bitter sweet. I'm excited, because if you've seen Rachel, she is a total smoke bomb, but if you've talked to her...you know why it can be bitter. The things I would fantasize about that girl if only she didn't open her mouth.

I knock on the door, and she beckons me into the office. She is wearing a white dress that hugs her butt in all the right places if you know what I mean.

"Do you have the list, Huck?" she ask.

The list of rankings is in my hand. As they get older the list gets harder and harder to make. It's never fun making a list and saying that your kid is potentially one of the first to die. It's very humbling.

"Yes. There was a change in first place. You might be surprised." I say as I hand her the list.

She looks at it, and her eyebrows shoot up when she sees the name at the top of the list.

"Very well, that's all I need you for."

Such a serious girl, for such a lovely body. It shouldn't add up that way.

I exit the room, and continue my walk down the hallway and towards the elevator. The kids should be sneaking out now, so I should take the long way home. I enter the elevator when I get a text from Mack.

"Mine just snuck out." she says. "Wine party at my house?"

"I'm in!" says Chanel.

"Same!" says Iris.

"I'll see you ladies there." I say.

 **Well there you have it!**

 **The List**

 **Victor: Julian Octavian Maximus**

 **2nd: Wyatt Lane**

 **3rd: Artemis Merone**

 **4th: Joseph Aleds**

 **5th: Honora Cashmere Flloyd**

 **6th: Ares Styx**

 **7th: Sylvia Hadley**

 **8th: Katarina Moreelle**

 **9th: Orion Acquarius**

 **10th: Jinx Freight**

 **11th: Vera Naylor**

 **12th: Hazel Patch**

 **13th: Ava Willows**

 **14th: Sashen Blaize**

 **15th: Nickle Parks**

 **16th: Jade VanBelle**

 **17th: Caius Sevara**

 **18th: Ellie Zweigle**

 **19th: Keanu Hargrave**

 **20th: Edith Blackwood**

 **21st: Amandus Porter**

 **22nd: Shawn Wheel**

 **23rd: Carmen Diego**

 **24th: Baptiste L'Acroix**

 **25th: Tycho Brunsfeld**

 **26th: Jayanti Haeok**

 **Next time you see them they are 16!**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	14. Tribute Introductions: Ava,Caius,Carmen

**WE ARE ON OUR LAST GROUP AND I'M OFFICIALLY FREAKING EXCITED!**

* * *

 _We are nothing without each other,_

 _When it's said and done._

 _We are oceans crashing together._

 _The storm is on the run._

 _We are madness, we are beauty, we're our own redemption._

 _Can't let these walls, come between us._

 _Our hearts will bleed as one._

* * *

 **Ava Willows**

 **Reawakened Tribute # 20**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

I'm more than a little nervous right now.

I hear two men's voices, and I have no idea where they are coming from. I can't see anything, and there is a blinding light in my eyes. My hearing is slowly fading back in, but for some reason that is gone as well.

About five minutes of hearing faded low voices, I can finally start to make out what the voices are saying.

"It was a low blow from the guy from 5 to stab her in both ears before killing her." says the man that is on my right side. I don't know what he looks like due to my eyes still being blinded by some light, but I don't feel as threatened anymore.

"Well, she should have run faster." says the other man's voice.

I wonder who they're talking about. This poor girl sounds very, very unlucky. I hope that she's at least resting in peace now. Especially if she died as brutal as they are saying she did. No one deserves to out in such a graphic manner.

About 5 more minutes, and I'm able to see around the room. I realize that there is no one in the room except for me, and the 2 men. I notice right away that they are doctors, or at least they are dressed like some. Could this mean I won the games? I couldn't possibly of...I...I'm not that strong.

I sit up in the bed to both of the men's surprise. They urge me to lay back down, but I've never been one that likes lying down. When they realize that I don't plan on lying down, they look at each other and shrug.

"Ava, I'm sure you have loads of questions. Just know that you died, and now you're back."

"Wait, what?" I ask confused. Shocked even. I couldn't possibly be the girl that they were talking about.

"We need you to put this on."

They hold out a black watch, and I hold out my wrist attempting to be compliant, but this is all getting to be a little much for me right now. They begin pressing buttons on the watch, and I want to speak, I'm just at a loss for words.

"Good luck, Ava." they say as they push a big green button on the watch.

* * *

 **16 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Ava Willows, 16**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

 **District 3 Female**

"So why is it that you want to take my baby girl out again, Joseph?"

Dad does this every time. Me and Joseph have been together since we were literally twelve, and he's asked him that literally every time since our first date when we were 13.

"Daddy, do we have to this every time?" I whine as I throw my head up.

Today is me and Joseph's anniversary. He's a great guy, and I'm really glad that I get to be with him, but I'm scared. I'm scared because I don't want, as dramatic as this sounds, I don't want to live without him.

He's been such an important part of my life, and we've been through so much together. I can't imagine living my life without him. However, the truth is that if everything goes according to plan...only one of us are getting out of that arena. That makes me terrified. Because I know if it came down to it, he would give up for me. He deserves more than that. He deserves to win this.

"Ava, you know that I like to keep him under a strict understanding of what this is going to look like-"

"Yeah, it'll end up with at least one of us dead in two years. Now if you don't mind."

I grab Joseph's hand and lead him out the doorway, but not before looking back at Daddy and wishing I hadn't said that. He doesn't know I know this, but him and Aunt Mack have been secretly hooking up for awhile now, I even would go as far to think they're secretly married. I know that they feel bad that they have to be the ones that send us to the arena. How ironic that the people who gave everything up for us, have to do the same thing twice now. I know they consider us their actual children. I know dad believes that I'm his daughter.

Look at it this way though, I'm probably going to die in two years anyways. What's the worst of the situations I can get into? Things have never been simple in the Jenkins household. I just wish that after a few years of dating Joseph my dad would understand that I know how to handle myself, and that he can trust us to not do something like run away.

We would never do that to him or Chanel. We know there would be consequences.

"That was a little harsh, Ava."

Joseph stares at me as he grabs my hand and pulls back on it a little. He wants to make sure I'm okay, which I understand, I just need a minute to get my thoughts together before I begin to start talking about what is going on.

"Can we just drive, I promise I'll talk to you about it. I just need a bit."

He nods, and walks to the passenger side of the car, and opens it for me. He doesn't ask anymore questions, and I know he won't until I'm ready.

"There is a carnival in town." he says as he gets into his side of the car, and puts the keys into the ignition. "I thought we could go and check it out."

"I'm always down for a funnel cake." I say. He puts the car in reverse, and begins to back out of the driveway. He turns on the radio to his favorite indie station, and begins to mumble the words to the song on the radio.

It's a quiet ride. It's not awkward, and it's not troubling. We're at a point in the relationship where it's very normal for us to just be. I know that I can be myself, and he does to. We're like the annoying married couple who can finish each other's sentences. We just don't feel the need to do so.

"Are you nervous for the list to come out tomorrow?" he ask.

He knows I'm not nervous. I've been pretty consistent for where I fall as far as placement. He on the other hand has always been higher on the list. He feels the need to compete, and to be the best. I know that this is his way of trying to bring it up. So I play along.

"No, I'm not that nervous about it. I'm pretty solid on where I fall everytime. Something I'm not excited for is that Honora will probably be the highest placing girl again." I love the girl, but she gets a little much at this point in the year. The year that she tied for victor with Wyatt, she threw a chair across the room.

"She'll never win the games." says Joseph. We pull up to a red light, and stop the car. He looks at me with his dark brown eyes, and smiles. "Someone like you is going to win it."

"I hate when you say that." I say tensing up.

He looks confused, and reaches for my hand, but I pull it away.

"What's wrong, babe?" he ask.

"I just," I don't know how to phrase what I want to say. I don't want to sound harsh, or like I'm telling him what to do. "It makes me feel like you're giving up when you say things like that. Joseph, honestly, I'd be okay with dying if it meant that you would live. I love you so much, and it's just hard now that we are so close, and it's easy to pretend like everything's okay right now, but the truth is, two years from now, we will be at each other's throats. Or worse, you'll be only protecting me and not focusing on yourself."

He turns my face to face him, as tears are streaking down my face. I begin to wipe my eyes, but he pulls me in for a kiss, and hey, might as well get them why I can. When we pull apart he looks me dead in the eyes. "Ava, I love you too. If it makes you feel better, let's make a pact. No dying for the other. Let's make it right now."

He won't follow it. He knows I won't either. If the going gets rough, I'll gladly jump in front of a knife for him. I don't have a chance at winning anyways.

"You know we won't do that." I say.

"But for now, it makes for an appeasing night, and a night to just relax." he says with a soft smile.

A car behind us honks, and we realize that it's a green light, and he begins to drive again. He reaches for my hand, and this time I hand it to him. He might think that he's going to get me out of the arena, but I'm promising right now, I will do everything I can to get him out of the arena.

* * *

 _What's wrong with the world, mama_

 _People livin' like they ain't got no mamas_

 _I think the whole world addicted to the drama_

 _Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma_

* * *

 **Day of the Capitol Reapings 16 years ago**

 **Rachel Callowgwey, 21**

 **President of Panem**

Huckleberry turns to hand me a slip from the boys section. He doesn't dig, he doesn't bother trying to pick the one most deserving. 15 innocent names rest in his bowl. He picks the one on the very top and hands it to me. With a sympathetic look to the mothers, he takes a deep breath.

"Caius Sevara."

Similar to the first mother, this one tried to fight off the nurses as well. She screamed and shouted, but this one didn't go down without a fight. When the needle came, she knocked the nurse over, and made a run for it.

She was stopped by the Doctor, and the baby was taken and handed to Huckleberry. The nurses with the sedation comes up behind her and sticks her, and she eases down into a sleep.

I begin to walk out of the room with Huckleberry and Mackenzie behind me. We are making our way down the main hallway, when a man is walking towards me with a rapid pace. Something like this for normal people would just make them tense. I was trained, and won the Hunger Games, and this is a red flag.

Upon approach, he pulls a knife out of his pocket and swings it at me. Instincts take over, and I flash back to the games, to the invasion, to Marissa's death. I disarm the man and slam the knife into her head. He goes down. He had a hospital bracelet on, and looking down I read the name "Victor VanBelle".

"Oh my gosh." says Mackenzie.

"Holy shit." says Huckleberry.

I take a deep breath and try to fight off the tears that are welling up in my eyes. I can't seem weak. I can't seem like I'm not made for this. I look over to the nurse and clear my throat.

"Clean this up." I say. I step over the dead man's body, and begin my walk to the car waiting for me at the front of the hospital.

Before I have a chance to make it to the door however, a man stops me. He doesn't touch me, he doesn't try to force himself. He just stands in my way. There is a look about him that says he's desperate, and I know if I just killed the girl's father, this has to be the boy's.

"My name is Apollo Sevara. My wife and I have tried to have a baby for years." Tears are strolling down his face looking at me. "Please don't take away my boy. We've had so many miscarriages, and he was the first to survive. He was our little survivor."

A twinge of guilt fills my body, I don't know how to handle this, or what to do. He's not attacking me, or harassing me. He's asking me to spare his son's life. Something that shouldn't have to be asked in the first place anyways. I look back at Huckleberry as he is holding the boy in his hands. Even on his first day out, he has a beautiful head of blonde hair.

"Wipe the families memory." I tell the nurse. "Do the other girl's mom too."

My guard hands her a little white device. As I walk past the man he falls to the ground, and begins to sob. I hear his sobs, and my guard trying to explain how to use the device to the nurse. The last thing I hear before getting into the car is the sound of a flash.

* * *

 **16 years after the Capitol Reapings**

* * *

 **Caius Sevara, 16**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

 **Capitol Male Tribute**

Today is the day. I'm going to talk to her, I'm going to meet my mom.

I wasn't supposed to know about her existence, and honestly until I was twelve I thought I was genuinely part of the Jenkins family tree. Everything changed that day for me though.

It's funny, isn't it? How some simple and bothersome task given to you by someone can change your life forever. A pair of batteries. That's all I was supposed to get. Dad had to hide them, because if we knew where they were we would always use them for our video games, and he wouldn't have them when we needed them. He always trusted me a little more than the rest of them though. It's why I was so adamant to believe that he was my dad.

" _Caius,"_ he whispered to me. " _The batteries are in my closet on the third shelf, behind a door. It's a hollowed out part of the wall. Go get your sister some batteries for her controller."_

I was twelve. I was just irked that he wanted me to do something like that, but at the same time I was so excited he trusted me with this information, that I didn't even think I would find anything in the wall other than batteries. I was wrong though.

" _How bothersome."_ I said getting up from my spot on the couch.

" _Thank you, son."_ he replied.

Walking into that closet, I could feel it. I could feel that something in that moment was going to change things, and I dismissed it. When I opened up the followed out wall to get the batteries, I saw them on top of a bunch of papers. Maybe, I shouldn't have been nosey, maybe I should have just closed the opening, but I didn't. I looked at the paper.

 _Caius Sevara_

 _Born at 11:43 am on 08/23/301ADD_

 _Mother: Anesia Sevara_

 _Father: Apollo Sevara_

It didn't take me long to figure out that the birth certificate was mine. I found everyone else's in the opening as well. I was so shocked, and I didn't know if I should confront him about it, or just play along and do my own research.

I did my own research, turns out my father had a vendetta against the Capitol. He fought alongside a group of rebels, that were against President Rachel reinstating the Hunger Games. He did an interview before his execution explaining he didn't want his future daughter growing up in a world where such cruelties still exist. He died two years after I was taken. My mother had a daughter while he was still on death row. She was pregnant with his child, and she had her exactly a year before he was killed. My sister's name is Tammy.

After he died my mother went back to live with her parents, who owned a mall in the Capitol. They haven't left.

Fast forward now, and Tammy, my mother, and her daughter that she had in what I'm assuming was a one night stand, come to this park every Tuesday to let her youngest daughter play. It looks to be there family outings. I've come close to talking with her before, but never have been able to. Not today though, I told myself that I would do this. I want to at least talk to her before I'm stuck in an arena fighting for my life. It's the reason I told everyone that was going to the carnival to meet at this park at 7:45, because I knew she leaves at 7:00. It's 6:30 now.

Tammy and my mom are sitting on a park bench watching the youngest daughter play on the jungle gym. The little girl falls, and Tammy runs to go make sure she's okay.

My palms are sweating, and my stomach is in knots, but I walk over to the bench and sit down. It's quiet for a minute, and I can literally feel my stomach turning round and round, when she looks at me.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude." she says. "But are you the young boy from the Hunger Games reality show?"

I'm not surprised she watches, it's kind of a requirement to watch us on TV. Which better way to know who you want to support than to know the tributes first hand. I try to respond, but my voice catches, and I all of a sudden forget how to use it.

"I don't mean to bother you, it's just that you're my daughter, Tammy," she points to the teenage girl blowing on her sister's skinned knee. "Well, you're her favorite. She hopes you win in the long run."

"She and I both." I say with a slight smile.

She laughs, and extends her hand. "My name is Anesia Splice."

"Caius." I say extending my hand.

She smiles and we shake hands, and then she turns back to her daughters.

"Tammy!" she calls from the bench. "Is Aria okay?"

The girl looks up to answer, when she sees me sitting here, and her eyes widen. She picks up the little girl, and runs over to her mom.

"Yeah, mom, she's okay." as she hands her sister off, and turns back to me. "Tammy Splice" she says extending her hand. "My grandparents own the mall down the road from here, the Splice Shops." she says smiling.

I extend my hand to meet hers. "My name is-"

"Caius!" she says. She turns red when she realized that she answered for me, and then starts to backpedal a little bit. "Sorry, it's just that everyone knows who you are. You're kind of famous around here." she says.

"Only a little bit." I say shrugging my shoulders. My phone buzzes, and I reach into my pocket to check it.

 _Cai we're going to run a little late._

 _Chanel has us on dish duty._

 _Me and O will be there when we can._

 _-Sashen_

Not even a second later my phone rings again, and this time it's from Jade.

 _Hey Caius, we are going to be running late._

 _Mom is spazzing out because Shawn scored low on his survival final._

 _He's the only one who can drive._

 _See ya soon,_

 _Jade_

"How irksome." I mutter to myself.

"What is?" ask Anesia, or my mom?, I'm not sure what to call her.

"I was actually waiting on my friends. We were planning on going to the carnival tonight." I say as I respond to both of them letting them know they're okay.

"We can wait with you!" says Tammy eagerly. "Right mom?"

"No honey, I'm sure he has much better things to do than to-"

"No," I say cutting her off. "I'd like that a lot actually."

She shrugs her shoulders, and Tammy looks at me with excitement. "You have to tell me all about the others." she says.

I smile, as it dawns on me that I'm actually talking to my sister, my mother, and my half sister. This is something that I never thought would happen. I tell them everything, well, everything besides the fact we're actually related.

They learn all about the behind the scenes training, and the dislikes of the group. Who's someone that's nice, who's an annoying person. Anything you need to know about the tributes I make sure to tell them. I hadn't noticed how much time passed until Sashen taps me on the shoulder.

"Hey Caius, you ready to go?"

"OH MY GOSH THERE'S TWO OF THEM, MOM!" screams Tammy in excitement. Sashen smiles and introduces herself, and my birth family responds with the same respect.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I say getting up from the bench.

"It was really nice meeting you, Caius." says Anesia with a smile. I realized that we share that trait.

"It was awesome meeting you guys to." They begin to walk away, but I stop them. This is the first time we spoke, ever. I'm not ready to give that up yet. "Hey, Tammy!"

She turns around, unsure of the situation and why I called her back.

"I would love to keep in touch." I say pulling out my phone, and handing it her. "Put your number in?"

She smiles and puts it in. "Here ya go!" she says.

"Awesome." I say. "I can tell we're going to be great friends."

My birth family walks off, and I turn to Sashen who is giving me some weird eyebrows facial expressions. I dismiss it and keep walking to meet Orion in the parking lot. Shawn, Jade, and Sylvia are just pulling into the parking lot as well. With a couple of honks Jade and Sylvia wave.

"Are we going to talk about who that was?" she ask me.

"Who was?" I ask. "I think what we actually should talk about is how irksome it is that you guys were over an hour late."

"Caius Sevara, I've never seen you interested in a girl before! What's special about her?"

I try to stifle a laugh to no avail. I haven't told anyone I know the truth about my family. I don't think it would be fair to them if mine was so close, and theirs was so far away in their district. I just shrug it off.

"There wasn't anything special. She was just some fan of the show. She was fun to talk to." I say. "I probably won't even text her." I say getting into the backseat of the car.

"Who was that?" ask Orion as Sashen gets in.

"Caius' new girlfriend." she says.

"Dude she was cute." says Shawn.

"Can we just go to the carnival like we planned, please?" I say.

Orion shrugs, and puts the car in reverse, and we begin to make our way to the carnival.

* * *

 _"I want to talk about me_

 _Want to talk about I_

 _Want to talk about number one_

 _Oh my me my"_

* * *

 **Carmen Diego**

 **Reawakened Tribute # 21**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

"15th place?!"

I stare at the doctor in amusement. Not only was I told I lost the Hunger Games, but I was told I got 15th place. It absolutely amazes me quite honestly! I trained my whole life for this! I was ruthless, I was mean, I was vindictive. I had all the makings of a victor, but I still fell short!

"Carmen, you really need to calm down." says the nurse as she is trying to soothe me into behaving.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I scream. "I just found out that my whole life I trained for something I lost, and then not only did I lose, but you brought me BACK in order to compete, AGAIN!"

Then it dawns on me though. I've been given a second chance. I've been given a chance to right the wrongs of the past. I'll go back in time, and kill all those bitches that try and get in the way of my inevitable win. Besides, it can't be that hard, I am a district 1 after al-

My thoughts are interrupted by a needle going into my arm. The world gets fuzzy, and I hear something about a sedation?

* * *

 **16 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Carmen Diego, 16**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

 **District 1 Female**

"Come on guys, it's time to go to the roller coaster." says Honora as she leads the way. Her posse of mindless zombies follow, and that means that I have to as well.

I'm playing these kids like a fiddle. I've been hiding the fact that I'm a totally awesome person that is hell bent on destroying each and everyone of them as the games gets closer and closer. I play dumb, act like I have no idea what the hell is going on. Screw up in practice on purpose, but I know the deal.

I know that I can win this thing. Honora isn't even that good. She's actually a bit of an intolerable person. Vera isn't so bad if you can get past the mountain of makeup she puts on everyday, and Jinx is just weird. I genuinely like Artemis. Shame I'll have to kill her in the games.

"Honora, my hair will get messed up." says Vera annoyed as she follows our "fearless" leader to the line at the roller coaster. Honora starts to push past people, and makes her way to the front of the line. People don't question it. Around the Capitol she's kind of known for throwing her temper tantrums, and she's really not into being questioned.

"I told you to wear a bun or a pony tail, Vera." says Honora. "If you could have gotten over yourself for more than 5 seconds, you would have brought a scrunchie or a hair tie." she says venomously.

She turns to the front of the line where she smiles sweetly at the teenage boy controlling the ride. When she isn't looking I hand Vera the extra hair tie I had on my wrist.

"Are you crazy?!" she ask me. "Honora will have your head."

"You're like, famous." I say in my best dumb girl voice. It's pretty good, I've been perfecting it since I was seven. "Tell her someone overheard you and went on and bought you some."

Vera smiles thankfully as she puts her hair up in a pony tail. The roller coaster stops, and Jinx, Artemis, and Honora cross into the gate. Before Vera, and I were able to get in she stops us, and holds her hand up.

"You broke the cardinal rule of being in this group. Never question me." she says as she closes the gate. "You two can wait by the benches over there."

Vera looks sad as she turns around and begins her walk of shame. Everything in me wants to sock this girl in the jaw, and show her what a real fight would be, but I can't blow my cover after I've worked so hard to maintain this dumb girl sketch.

"Are you seriously stupid? Or do you just not follow instructions ever?" she ask me.

I realize that I haven't moved, which in reality is a good thing. I've gotten really good at putting on my blank stare when I'm deep in thought. It adds a lot to the part if we're honest.

"Seriously, is there anything in between your ears?" she ask again more impatient. "Get moving 1."

I turn and begin to walk back to where Vera is sitting. She has her head in her hands, and she is crying hard. She tries so hard to be Honora's right hand man, she always ends up losing out to Jinx. I totally can see why, Vera is, well. Vera. Jinx is serious, and way mysterious. She also is into this whole psychic thing, and I'm honestly scared to cross her out fears she'll put a hex on me or something.

"I just try so hard." says Vera as I sit down.

Bingo, here we go. I've been looking for a way to start planting doubt about Honora for ages, and this, even though it's very cruel, will just have to do.

"I know you do, honey." I say as I put my hand on her back. She continues to sob a little bit more, and then blows her nose into a tissue.

"Like, I just want to be best friends with her like we used to in the old days! Everything was so simple before we all started taking these games so seriously. Like why do I even try? Honora is going to win anyways. She gets EVERYTHING." she whines into my shoulder.

I honestly don't want her head anywhere near me. And I could do without her mascara running down my blouse, but if this is step one in taking down Honora, this is going to have to be a sacrificial blouse.

"Who says she has to?" I ask

She picks up her head and stares at me with a look of fear. "What are you talking about, Car?"

"Why does she have to be the victor?" I ask. "People like me and you work just as hard in training. Why do we have to hand her the crown, and life? Are you willing to die for her, Vera?"

"No." she sniffles as she wipes her nose. "I hate her." she then looks really guilty right away. "But I also love her." she starts to cry again. The "r" in her is dragged out as she throws herself back onto my shoulder.

 _And I thought I was the dumb one_.

"Look, Vera." I say. "We're friends, so I feel like I can tell you this." I say.

She stops crying and looks up at me. She wipes her eyes, and I pull a kleenex out of my purse for her to make herself look presentable.

"The group we are in is big targets in the games. Honora has made enemies with a lot of people, and because of that you're guilty by association." I say. She glances back at me as I continue to explain my logic. "If we don't stick with her, we have a higher chance of getting out of that arena when it's all said and done."

She looks scared that we are even talking about this, and the roller coaster is already half way around the course.

"Think about it, Vera. A life of lavish luxury. Anything you could ever possibly want, handed to you on a silver platter. You don't have to worry about Honora dictating your every move. You'll have control over your own life."

"I like that idea." she says quietly.

"I'm glad."

"So what does this mean?" she ask me.

"We need to make an alliance. We need to pull Artemis in, and maybe for good favor the couple from 3. I don't think the boy and girl popular groups will mix. So it'll be Honora and Jinx on their own. They won't even make it past the second day."

"I'll need time to think about this." says Vera.

"Just keep me updated."

The roller coaster stops, and we hear people coming out of the ride.

"Alright bitches, it's over. On to the next one." Honora says walking away.

 _Yes indeed, Honora. On to the next one._

 **I hope you liked these tributes! We have one more introductory chapter left! Can you believe it?! Also, I would like to thank Ansley (CreativeAJL) for being cool with some changes that I made to his tribute. I know he worked hard on him, and I changed quite a bit of his backstory. Also, read Ansley's story.**

 **After this last introductory I think the next few chapters will be from the parent's POV, cool?**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	15. Tribute Intros: Edith, Jayanti, Artemis

**After this chapter we are officially done with the reapings, and only two chapters away from the launch/bloodbath. Are you excited?:)**

 **Also, Jayanti is Gender-Fluid. I want to apologize if I don't display the traits of a person who experiences Gender Fluidity correctly. I've read into it, but we can see how this goes. So again, I apologize if it's not...good.**

* * *

 _You may say I'm a dreamer,_

 _but I'm not the only one._

 _I hope someday you will join us,_

 _and the earth will be as one._

* * *

 **Edith Blackwood**

 **Reawakened Tribute # 22**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

The games are cruel.

I remember everything. Killing, Tyler, Cress, being killed. It's all still there. The images of my past haunt me like a tattered black and white photo in a frame. The faces of the people of my past, the alliances, the friends, Cress. They stare at me like a ghost standing in front of these hospital beds.

I am _changed._

I will never be the same after what I experienced. You see those careers, and other people that somehow overcome the odds and win the games, but then they don't flinch. They don't look like they've lost sleep, they don't look like they've had anything wrong happened. Just a blimp in the road the get to where they need to be. I'm jealous.

I _wish_ things were that easy for me. I _wish_ I wasn't feeling like I shouldn't be alive. I should have died out there. I should have allowed myself to just die, and accept my fate.

Some fates are worse than death.

Maybe I'm in hell. Forced to see pictures of my past. Forced to look at the ghost that preside there over and over in my mind. Constantly battling the urge to scream, or to let all my anger out. There had to be at least a million slips in District 7's female bowl. Here I was the lucky one selected.

"Hello..?" I call out from the bed. I'm fighting the urge to get up, because I know that will only bring problems for me with whatever staff they have here.

I know I died. I remember the feeling I felt when I knew Cress was making it out of that arena. I wonder what happened to him?

A burly hairy man strolls into my hospital room. He smiles at me as I lay there. My face is unmoving. I used to always want to return a smile, but now it's just futile. There's no point.

"Edith, I'm going to make you feel much better." says the man nicely. He holds a little black watch in his hand, that I can't imagine will fit around his giant wrist. He walks over to the bed I'm staying in, and reaches for my wrist. I almost want to hope that whatever he is going to do, that he will make me feel better. Hope is just something that people hold onto when they're weak. I'm weak.

He presses a few buttons, and the hope that I once hold was something that once again let me dow-

* * *

 **16 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Edith Blackwood, 16**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

 **District 7 Female**

It's the last day of school, and I couldn't be more excited! This is something that I've been counting down for all year. Hello to the beach, and late nights, and bonfires! I'm just so excited.

"Edith!" screams dad from downstairs. "It's time for you to come and eat breakfast. You don't want to be late for the last day at school!"

Little does he know, I'd like nothing more than to be late, or even miss it. All we are going to do today is go to Iris' class for a couple of hours and get some combative training done, and then we will get the list of where we rank for the year.

I never rank very high. I'm just not that good at this training stuff..I'm just...average? I mean if this was in terms of the old Hunger Games, where everything would be normal, and there was outer districts who didn't know what they were doing, I'd be above average. I'd be stronger than most of them even.

This isn't a normal Hunger Games though, and instead of me being one of the best there is people like Ares, Honora, Artemis, Joseph, and Wyatt. Shoot even Jinx scares me a lot to be completely honest.

I've known since we've started competing in this rank assessment that I was never going to accomplish anything in it. Being where I am, and falling where I do isn't the problem. I'm not worried about losing. I trust my friendships that I've made.

A knock on my door sends me wheeling back into reality when I'm staring at Jayanti. He is giving me a look of urgency and motions for me to follow him downstairs to the breakfast table. I follow him down the stairs, and sit down. A spread of omelettes and pancakes, waffles, all you could possibly think of sits on the table. Dad always goes all out on the last day of school.

"What took you so long coming down?" ask dad as everyone is at the table.

"I just got a little distracted." I say as I plop a waffle on my plate and begin to fill every hole in it with syrup. Dad clears his throat, and that lets us know that he's going to be giving us an announcement about the day.

"Guys, today is a very important day. It's the last day of school, and next year, you'll be nothing but training with Iris, and one class a day with the rest of us. This summer is your last summer of true freedom, because you won't be getting one next year. So I want you to enjoy yourself. I'm not saying there are no rules, because there has to be rules, but I am saying that you can get away with a little more this summer."

We stare at each other in happiness, and dad continues on his lecture rant hybrid thing. I look across the table at Artemis who nods, and I know we are going to have an awesome summer together.

"So, like, we can ask boys over?" ask Carmen with a sheepish grin on her face.

"Like I said." dad says with an annoyed look. "Some rules. Eat your fruit everyone. We're leaving in 10."

We quickly inhale the food that is sitting on the table, when we were done we took our plates in the sink, and Artemis glances at me, and hands me a note.

 _Secret meeting tonight._

 _Let Vera and Edith know._

 _-Carmen_

We decided last night after Carmen and Vera originated this that we would be a group going into the games. I'm probably last on that totem pole, but it's better than the alliance I did have consisting of zero.

I would probably ask about the minor details of where and what time, however, I live with two out of the 3 girls I am in the alliance with, and I doubt they would leave me out.

We pile out of the kitchen, and walk to the car, as dad hops in the drivers seat. We are driving down the road, and are about to turn into the school, when we see there is a group of picketers standing in front of the doorway.

They are holding up signs that read "DOWN WITH HUNGER GAMES!" and "KIDS ARE KIDS, NOT KILLERS."

We knew that something like these people existed, and we knew that they protested in places all the time, but this is the first time that anyone has ever stood in front of our academy and tried to stop us from entering.

Dad tells us to be brave, and to just keep walking.

"Don't be afraid to throw an elbow or two." he says.

"Cool." mutters Artemis as we get out of the car and walk towards the crowd.

* * *

 _I've been roaming around, always looking down at what I see._

 _Painted faces, fill the spaces I can't reach._

 _You know that I could use somebody._

 _You know that I could use somebody._

* * *

 **Jayanti Haeok**

 **Reawakened Tribute # 23**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

Not surprised 22nd is the number I see printed next to my name in my file. I probably shouldn't be looking at this, but I don't know where I am, and I'm a little nervous.

I hear people out in the hall talking. "He wasn't awake the last time I walked in." says a female voice.

I'm not a he. I'm not a she. I don't like the pronouns. If they need to use one other than my name I prefer it to be they or them. Not that I would ever correct them on it. I'm not the type to be brassy, or ballsy.

"Go check on him, Pam." says a male voice.

I slam the file back onto the table, and run back to the bed. I managed to still stay connected to all the wires that they had on me. I crawl under the covers, and close my eyes to pretend I'm asleep.

"Doctor, he's still out."

 _They._ I think. _They are still out._

"What percentage?"

"Says 100% complete on the monitor."

"Put the watch on, and then press the travel button. Then bring that hot body of yours to that breakroom."

I hear a giggle as the nurse lifts up my arm, and puts some kind of a bracelet on. I begin to hear buttons being pushed, and then-

* * *

 **16 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Jayanti Haeok, 16**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

 **District 6 Male**

Walking in this morning was awful. There was so much screaming. So much yelling. People were touching me, and grabbing ahold of me. They told me to run, and that I should be able to live a normal life.

How am I supposed to know what normal is though, when my definition of normal isn't what the world sees?

Whether people realize it or not, this is normal for me. This is where I find solace. It's a system of where I can know there will be consistency and I know that nothing, other than ranks potentially, will change.

Growing up in a family like my dad's wasn't easy. Especially when we were younger. My dad is something called a Fuck boy, and he wasn't afraid of showing the status as the younger years went on. Secretly, I think him and Mack are seeing each other, but that's just from observation.

I'm often the person that goes unnoticed. The person who fades into the background, and doesn't talk. I just listen. When you listen to people you hear the real them. I know everything that goes on in the academy. I know that Sylvia hates Jade. I see it in her face when Jade turns around. I know that Ares and Honora secretly appreciate the competition that the opposite provides during this time of the training. I know that the girls in my house, minus Ava, have an all girl's alliance that are going into the games together.

I know _a lot._

"We have a simple day ahead of us." says Iris. "Go to your choice of weapons, and then let it rip. Today is all about practicing,and making this the best games that you can for yourself. In about three hours I'll come back and we will get the scores." she says with a clipboard, that probably already has the scores on it.

Bap makes his way over to me when everyone starts to disperse. I like Bap because he doesn't talk like me. It's not that we can't, we just prefer silence. There isn't any pressure on this friendship. It just is.

He smiles lightly as he approaches me, and we walk over to the treadmills. We've never been good with weapons, so doing them now seem pointless. Beides, playing in the Hunger Games never really worked well when all you had was combative skills. Agility can work just as well.

We start the treadmill going at a low pace. We don't bother stretching, we won't be working that hard today anyways. And we just watch the people that we've grown up with. It's funny. I can tell you the things that they try and keep secret, but if you asked me something personal about them, like their desires and wants, I couldn't tell you. Even with my siblings. It's sad really. We've grown up together for 12 years now. You'd think you'd know anything about anyone if you were together that long.

Oh, how people only let you see what they want.

Nobody in here wants to appear weak, but the thing is they all have their flaws. Whether it be the perfect career tribute from District 4, to the brute from 12. There is something that makes them tick. Something that makes them vulnerable.

I guess that's just what happens when you're the wallpaper to a room full of people.

"The meeting will be at the skate park tonight." says Carmen as she and Vera are walking to the elliptical machine.

"What if Honora finds out?"

"She won't. She's too busy obsessing over the ranks. I have it under good authority she is going to be ranked Victor this time." says Carmen.

"She'll want me to celebrate with her." says Vera nervously.

"Let me worry about that. You just get there tonight."

Carmen watches Vera mount the elliptical and then walks over to Ares at the spear section. He is throwing with nearly perfect accuracy and is doing a mighty bad job at showing his lack of frustration because of it.

I look over to Bap and hold up a finger signifying that I will be back. I follow Carmen to the spears, and sit on the bench close enough to where I can hear, but not enough to draw attention to myself for being too close.

"Honora has been talking all kind of crap about you since this morning. She keeps saying how she's going to win today. How you can never beat her at anything, and when it's all said and done, you're nothing but a loser. You'll always be a loser."

Ares looks at her surprised, and then throws a spear that lands dead in the center of the target.

"We'll see." says Ares as he walks over to the station that Honora is at, and you don't have to be next to them to know that a fight is ensuing. Ares is screaming, and that vein that pops out of his head when he is angry is sticking out. Honora looks confused, but she's not one to back down from a fight.

I look over to Carmen and she is over on the elliptical with a relieved looking Vera. I think we've all given Carmen a misjudgement. I know I have. The girl is scary. She's good at what she does, and while she might not be able to tell you book stuff, Carmen just manipulated this situation flawlessly.

I walk back over to the treadmills, which is a lot closer to the fight than the bench, and begin to run again. I can hear the argument very clearly as neither of them have been really worried about hiding the fact that they're mad at each other.

"How could you say all that stuff! I thought we were finally at a good place, Honora!"

"Ares, I don't even know what you're talking about! Chill dude!" she retaliates.

Ares rolls his eyes and throws his hands up. He turns around and seems to be talking to everyone. "You never know! Want to know what I know though? You're a bitch! Always have been, and always will be one."

"Ares, you're picking a war you don't want to start." says Honora calmly.

"Street fight." says Ares. "You. Me. Tonight."

"Good," says Honora with a brave face on. "When I kick your ass, which we both know I will, I'll walk away and laugh as you're a bloody heap on the floor."

"There will be none of that." says Iris as she walks back into the room. "Honestly, I can't leave you guys alone for 5 minutes without you threatening each other. Ares and Honora, go to your mom's room. She wants to see you guys."

Honora and Ares roll their eyes as they walk out of the room, and head towards Chanel's class.

Yes, we severely underestimated Carmen, but now I just want to know what this meeting is about.

Bap and I run for two more hours, and then Iris stands up from the corner that she was sitting in ever since Carmen happened.

"It's time to go get the scores. Let's go people, hussle!" she hollers as we make our way to the auditorium.

* * *

 _Young hearts, out our minds._

 _Run until we're out of time._

 _Wild child's, lookin good,_

 _living life just like we should._

* * *

 **Artemis Merone**

 **Reawakened Tribute # 24**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I DIED?!

I'm infuriated. This nurse better recognize who she is talking to, and understand that I don't like jokes like this. This is not a laughing matter. I'm sitting here alive right now. There is no way that I died. I'm alive and well.

"You were killed in the Glass Glade games, Artemis." says the nurse. She would be pretty if I didn't hate her right now for lying to me.

"Where is the camera. I want to know who hired you to prank me." I detach the wires from my arms, which were surprisingly actually in there, and begin to search in random parts of the room. The nurse looks nervous and begins to usher me back to bed while pressing random buttons on the wall.

"Artemis, you really need to go back to the be-"

"HELLO?!" I call out into the room. "You can come out now, you've had your laugh."

"Artemis, this isn't a joke. You died. You placed 15th."

My heart sinks to the floor. 15th place? That's not a good. That's not even moderately acceptable for someone who trained as long and as hard as I did to make it in the games. I worked to hard.

"Who killed me?" I ask.

"Dove Savage."

"DOVE FUCKING SAVAGE ARE YOU JOKING?!"

Anyone but little miss perfect. I HATED her. She was awful. Oh my gosh, what if she won?! What if she was the one that made it out of the arena. I'll never forgive myself if I allowed that to happen. If I allowed that Pre-Madonna to beat me.

"Did she win?!" I ask urgently.

"No, she placed 8th."

Well I at least find some comfort.

"You do get a chance to redeem yourself, Artemis. You do know that right?"

"How?!" I say. I need to bring honor back to the district. I can't allow myself to be just another dead girl up on their memory wall. It's a shame wall is what it is. Some people vandalize it at least twice a year, with the words loser on it, failures, outcast, suckage on a stick. Anything you can possibly think of, it's been on that wall.

"You're going back into the games, but you're...let's call it restarting."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll know soon enough."

She takes my wrist and slides a watch onto it, and then presses numerous buttons. I freak out, but don't move, because if this is going to be how I win the games, I'm all for it. She presses a giant green button, and suddenly everything fades.

* * *

 **16 Years after Reawakening**

* * *

 **Artemis Merone, 16**

 **Huckleberry's Group**

 **District 2 Female**

It's dark, and if I wasn't trained in 9 different ways to kill someone with my bare hands, I'd probably be nervous. The skatepark has always held some level of fear in the hearts of youths everywhere as I we go here at night. Every year, on the first day of summer, we come here and have a party. This is no party though. It's a meeting.

When Vera approached me last night at the carnival about having an alliance against Honora, I was stoked. I knew that that bitch is the only one who even has a remote shot at beating me. You learn how to hide things from others in this environment, and my skills, a lot like Carmen's are something I'm not willing to show just yet.

Placing in the top 5 is something that is definitely strategic, but you don't want to see like to much of a threat. I can't help it that I have to work hard to actually not beat these stupid losers in training that I could probably do with my eyes closed.

The truth is you can train these kids however you want. What it comes down to is who is going to have the cojones to slam a knife into the other's back. Ruthless mentality is the only way people win these games. Sure there are the losers that slip through the cracks, but nobody wins the Hunger Games because they're a good person.

I join Carmen, Edith, and Vera as they are sitting on top of the tallest ramp at the park. As I climb up, we all dangle our feet over the sides of the wall, and sit in silence.

We have to be the first alliance of the games. There is no way that anyone else has thought enough about what is going to happen two years from now, and who they are going to be competing with in the games. Other than maybe Joseph and Ava.

Carmen is the first to break the silence. She clears her throat and looks down the line, and smiles.

"Thanks for coming everyone." she says

No one responds. It was literally not a question of whether we would come or not. If we didn't come, we threatened putting a target on our back, and I wasn't looking to have to deal with three angry girls later on in the arena, and also, I mostly like everyone sitting here.

"We are here today, because we have something that the rest of the people don't have." says Carmen.

"What's that?" ask Edith.

"A shot."

She lets the silence kick in after saying that so that the group gets the full effect of the words she just said.

"Each of you are very prepared. I see it in your faces, and I know what you're capable of. You all have the skills to take someone like Honora out, if not to win. I want that on my side in the games. I don't want to have to battle it out with people who can potentially beat me."

"If I didn't see the way that you manipulated Honora and Ares today. I would have laughed in your face." says Vera as she straightens up. "Honora is scary, but I think as a team, we could take her out. Why stop there though? Knock Ares, Wyatt, Keanu out. All the faces that are potentially winners are people that could potentially get us."

"What about when things start to get towards the end though?" ask Edith. "I don't want to get to know you guys, and then be us only at the end. That would suck."

"Final 4. It has to be final 4. We have to make that agreement tonight." I say. "We need each other, I'm not saying that I won't win without you guys, because I fully believe that I can. I would rather have someone that I knew was watching my back though."

Carmen scoots off the end of the ramp and slides down it. We follow suit, and she smiles we stand in a circle around each other. She sticks her hand in the middle, and looks around.

"Top 4?" she ask.

Vera is the first to put her hand in, followed by me. Edith looks at us with a certain sadness in her eyes, but then she nods and puts her hand in the middle.

"If anyone of us dies, the rest takes out the person that killed us." says Vera. "Deal?"

"Deal," we all say.

Carmen sits back down on the ramp, and we all do the same, but we stay in the circle we were once standing in. She begins to twirl her long blonde hair in between her fingers, and then takes a breath to speak.

"We need to make people think that this isn't a thing. We can't go around, and advertise that fact we are in an alliance. If someone ask you, then you say yes, and then we betray them once we hit the arena."

"Agreed," I say, "And absolutely no one is able to be included in this group. This is the four. No one else comes in."

The group nods, and then we all lay back and look up at the sky. The stars are gorgeous tonight. The moon looks like it's closer than normal. I've never been around such a pretty night in the Capitol.

A light breeze begins to flow, and we are all start to point out constellations in the sky, but once we've found all the ones we know, we start making them up.

"That one looks like a walrus eating a watermelon." says Edith as she tilts her head pointing to a particular grouping of stars.

"I don't see it." I say with a chuckle.

I wonder what life would be like if we weren't in the games. Would we be friends? Would we have each other still? Who would I be if I didn't have to train my whole life.

I guess sometimes, you just have to roll with it without asking what if. Life is what you make of it, and I refuse to sit around and fantasize about something that can't happen. There will be plenty of time after I win the games for that.

Until then, I'll enjoy these little moments in the time allotted to just be a kid.

 **WE ARE DONE WITH THE REAPINGS!**

 **Wow I never thought this day would come! The next two chapters are going to be a little different. We will have graduation. Where I'll announce the final ranks, aka training scores, and then we will have the graduation/18th Birthday party, aka the interviews, I'm so excited for the rest of this story now that the boring parts are over.**

 **Keep in mind the bloodbath is in two chapters, if I haven't heard from you in awhile...odds are your tribute is going to bite it. I refuse to kill someone who I know has been reading over someone who submits, and then fades away. Sorry, that's been said since the beginning.**

 **Shout outs: Paradigm of Writing is writing a SYOT and needs tributes! Be sure to submit! It's a really great opening chapter.**

 **EthanW32 is also writing an SYOT and though it's closed you should still check it out.**

 **Declan42 is writing an SYOT, and last I checked still needed tributes, so submit my SYOT addicts. SUBMIT!**

 **RuethisDay is also writing one, and you should totes submit if they aren't full. :D**

 **Announcements:**

 **I'm leaving the country on July 16th, and I won't be updating. I think I might be done by the time we get to that point, but if for some reason this story isn't, I'll be sure to pre-write two chapters that will be posted by the lovely Jenna (betttyy). She will update every other week until I'm back (I'll be gone 5 weeks), sorry if that sucks, I'll be in Australia though! I just want to take it all in and focus on that while I'm there.**

 **There is a poll on my profile. Vote for your faves, as that also has an effect on the bloodbath.**

 **The Rankings (Same as on the website goophg , weebly. com)**

 **Next two chapters will be from the directors and the kids.**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	16. Graduation

**I'm finally at the fun part of this story. Don't get me wrong I love that I got to explore your tributes, but now I'm just ready to get on with it. I'll be wrapping up some loose ends, and you'll hear a bit from people you've not heard a lot from.**

* * *

 _Ain't going back to Barton Hollow._

 _Devil gonna find me er' I go._

 _Won't do me no good,_

 _washing in the river._

 _Can't no preacher man save my soul._

* * *

 **Obsidian Blackwell, 45**

 **Teacher at Training Academy**

Well, it's been a long 18 years, and it's finally almost time to make a strike.

It's been an uphill battle from the start. Getting Rachel alone long enough to slip the hypnosis leaf into her drink, and once I did it once I literally have had her doing it for me. It hasn't all been that easy though. Caridee isn't exactly on board with this whole "Master Plan."

However, the most impossible of any of the situations I've faced so far is that of Chanel Lourd. First of all, where does this girl find time to half run a country when she has 7 teenagers living in her house?! Not to mention that I'm 75% sure she's onto me, and she's waiting for the right time to strike. I remember her games, she doesn't play to lose.

She still hasn't confronted me though. I told future Star Fire, that when she returned to the past only to mention my first name. It's not like there isn't 6000 obsidians in the District 1 and Capitol area alone. Not to mention, Caridee was never mentioned at all in the pow wow that took place 18 years ago.

All anyone needs to know is this plan is playing out perfectly. Rachel is going to lose her mind, and I can finally take my place as ruler of this country. Calliope took it from my family, and then that harlot Rachel followed.

How 20 and 21 year olds seize power in this damn country, and how a seasoned and experienced person like me has to work so damn hard to make it, but trust me. It's not something I'm playing around with anymore. I'll have that girl's head on a platter, and I will destroy the very foundations of the toxic environment that she calls a country.

"Students, please return to the auditorium, it's time for the graduation ceremony to commence."

Perfect.

I won't lie to you, I messed up the scores. Caridee and I planned on voting weird for awhile. Not only does it throw the trainers off, because they already know what the scores for each person will be in their heads, but it throws the tributes off.

The scores aren't averaged by everyone agreeing on the placement. There are 10 sections with 10 points in each the tributes are graded on. You give the tributes low grades, that normally receive high grades, and that messes up the balance of the system completely. Just like if you give the kids that get pretty average kids perfect scores, things get a little...let's say fun. I made a point to especially place the District 9 girl high. I can't have her coming back. These kids are in for the shock of their lives as they sit through their graduation anticipating to be called within the first 5 or so names. I can't wait to see the boy from 12's face when they call him in his placement.

You see, right now is all about breaking the trust that people have in Rachel. What better way to start than messing her up on a national TV show? These kids have worked SO hard, and to have some of them graduate in the middle of even bottom in some cases will be a true travesty. From there, since all of us are Gamemakers, which I might add that Rachel is a cold hearted witch if she expects these parents to torture their kids in the arena, we mess up the games from there.

Walking down these hallways for one of the last times is a little sentimental actually. This is the place we, well I, birthed the game plan. This is where everything came into focus, and I was able to finally work towards becoming my birthright.

My Aunt never intended on giving up the crown to Calliope, that's right ladies and gentlemen, I'm the nephew of Alecto Snow. Rachel's mentor, and mother figure. She lost sight of what was important. We had to go into hiding after Calliope took over. She wanted all of the Snow's taken out due to people getting behind them, and wanting true rulers back. Hence why my last name is Blackwell.

The students all sit in the row that they were assigned to sit down in. A straight line, and in particular order. Chanel makes her way up to the stage and clears her throat.

"Hello." she says with a smile. "We felt like this day would never come. 18 years ago some of the biggest blessings I've ever gotten entered my household, and now that it's over.." she begins to tremble in her voice a little bit. "I don't really know what to do."

Mack, Iris, and Huck join her up at the podium. They all have been a crazy great support system for each other, and it's weird to think about. They all hated each other when this first started. Or, everyone hated Chanel.

"We are so proud of the tributes that you guys have become. It's hard letting you guys go, but we know that you'll make us proud." says Mackenzie.

Chanel wipes her eyes, and looks up at the light for a minute to get her composure. Weak, she should have known not to get attached to these brats.

"I know it's silly that we seem so sad to see you guys graduate, and given the circumstances I know you can't blame us. Falling in love with our children, because that's what you are. Ours. Was never supposed to happen. Thank you for making this the best 18 years a mother could have asked for." says Iris as tears start rolling down her face.

"Without further ado. Let's get the graduation ceremony started." says Huck as pulls the list out of his back pocket, and sits it down on the stage.

"Ranking first in the class, and also predicted Victor is.."

* * *

 _Happy for you_

 _Know that I am._

 _Even if I, can't understand._

* * *

 **Honora Cashmere Flloyd, 18**

 **District 4 Female**

Who. Do. They. Think. They. Are?!

I worked my ass off for 13 years of my life. They had me doing everything! I was victor for 7 out of those thirteen years, and runner up for the rest. How dare they.

It's safe to say that I'm livid. If I knew a stronger word for the feeling I'm feeling, I would use it. I trained so hard. I don't understand.

The clicking of my heels echo throughout the halls as I storm down to the teachers lounge. The rest of the students went out to lunch as a celebration. These people have explaining to do. I have never felt more betrayed in my entire life. I cannot believe that the one year I actually needed to be ranked within the top 5 at least, is the year that I don't get it.

When I get to the door I don't bother knocking. The teachers, because at this point I refuse to call them family, sit around a table and are eating a cake. When they see me enter the room, a look of worry sweeps over their faces, and they know I'm upset.

"Honora, you aren't supposed to be in he-"

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" I scream.

They all look very defensive as they sit their forks down and stare up at me with a frown on their face.

"Honora, we did the scoring system the normal way, and-"

"No, there is no way you did it the normal way!" I say walking over to the table they are sitting at. I take their cake and throw it across the room. Huck stands up and attempts to put his hand on me, but I give him a look that says I'll actually kill him. They know I will too. That's why when I give him the look, he backs down.

"7th place?!" I say. "I've done nothing different. None of those losers have anything on me! I was Victor the past 2 years running now! Not even someone like Wyatt beat me, or even Ares! I would be okay if I earned my 7th place spot, but I didn't. The kids that are in the top 5, they didn't earn those and you know it."

"Honora, we were just as shocked as you were when Star Fire returned the list with the scores on it. We thought that their had to be some mistake." says Chanel as she stands up. "My girl, I know this is hard for you-"

"I'm not your girl. You betrayed me." I say as I dodge her hug as she comes towards me. She looks hurt as she stands there. Her face is full of sadness, and I know this is hurting her. I can't stop though. I'm raging. I'm angry.

"Honora, that's enough." says Iris standing up. "You can leave now."

"Trust me, I plan to." I say as I turn and walk towards the door. I stop and turn around, and stare back at "mom" as she stands up in the same place with the same sad look on her face. "Don't wait up tonight." I say as I stroll out of the room.

I hear Chanel start to whimper the moment I leave the room, and multiple chairs moving. I assume they're getting up to comfort her, but she doesn't deserve it. She doesn't get sympathy. How could she let this happen to me?

My heels continue the click down the hall, as I pull out my cellphone and begin to dial the familiar number that I've dialed so many times before.

"Hello?"

"Jinx, get ready for tonight. We're getting shit faced and sloppy." they want to ruin my chances, I'll show them what I'm capable of achieving. I'll make them look like the most irresponsible parents ever.

"Sounds like a plan. Everyone is at the burger shack!"

"SYLVIA. SYLVIA. SYLVIA!"

I roll my eyes, I still can't believe that bitch is number one in our class. I have no idea how that happened. She didn't even crack the top 10 I don't think until the last two years? That's how irrelevant she's been to me.

"Do me a favor and stab that bitch in the throat." I say as I hang up.

I continue down the main hallway when a camera crew comes running up and stops me.

"Honora, how does it feel to not be in the top 5 places for the first time ever?"

"Honora, how does it feel to lose everything you've worked for?!"

"Honora, will you still be confident entering the games?"

I stop and yank a camera out of a reporter's hand. They all freeze. It's probably best to not piss off a trained killer, but the paparazzi knows no bounds, and eventually these bitches are going to have to learn a lesson or two.

"I have a question for you." I say sweetly as I twirl a camera in my hands. "How does it feel to know I'm either going to shove this up your ass, or slam it to the ground?" I ask.

The reporter looks scared for his stupid camera, and he reaches for it again, but I kick him in the groin, and he goes down.

"I am not a loser. I did not lose everything. I'm still a boss ass bitch that's going to dominate in these games. I have no further comments. You'll see me when I'm back on my victory tour."

I take the camera and hurl at the ground next to the man. I know I'm going to get in trouble. Ever since we were old enough to understand our fame in the districts we were always told not to talk to reporters. Not only did I just break that rule, but I assaulted one.

"I'm calling the Peacekeepers." says the man as he pulls out his phone.

I bend down and look at the man in the face. My tight white dress is probably showing all my unmentionables, but at this point I don't even care. Go out with a bang or go home.

"Call the peacekeepers, what are they going to do? Keep me from the Hunger Games? My mom is the Vice President." I say with a grin. "You don't scare me."

I stand up and walk over him and walk out of the doors. My plan is moving along nicely. They want to see a rebel child, I'll give them the best rebel they've ever seen.

* * *

 _Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof._

 _Cause I'm happy, clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth._

 _Clap along if you know what happiness is to you_

* * *

 **Keanu Hargrave, 18**

 **District 11 Male**

There is a lot of angry faces in the burger shack tonight. There has been so many surprises today, that I'm not quite sure what is going to happen with the next few days. It's hard to believe that in just a few days, something we've waited our whole lives for is going to come into fruition.

I never thought that this day would come. The Hunger Games has always been something that was in the back of all our heads. Every time we would open up to someone, every time we would have a new relationship start, every time we would hang out with each other. There was a thought in the back of our heads that the person we are dealing with could be the very one to stick a knife in our back.

"I can't believe the final scores." says Sylvia as she is still beaming. Jade and her have been over the moon about their placement rankings. They really needed those boost to get noticed by the sponsors. I'm pretty neutral with mine. It isn't too shabby, and it's not something that I should be ashamed of.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either." says Honora as she takes a huge bite out of her burger. She has been very passive aggressive and bitchy since the list came out. Jinx and Vera have been hanging around her and trying to comfort her, but I don't see her getting over this anytime soon.

"Listen, maybe you should have just worked harder." says Sylvia nonchalantly.

Not a smart move, going to piss off the psycho girl, this girl is going to be a straight savage in the games. I wouldn't want to be in her crossfire. Especially if I was number one on the slot. Her being there only adds to the drama of her already. She's put a target in her back since the beginning.

"Maybe you should realize that this was just a fluke, and that you're going to die in the games anyways." says Honora as she tilts her head to the side.

"Talking a big game for some person who got..what was it? 6th? No, that's way too high. It was 7th." says Jade with a smirk as she takes a french fry and dips it in some ketchup. She pops it in her mouth and begins to chew when Honora throws a bunch of french fries at her.

"I'm going to go ahead and assume you're clinically insane after the events of today. Because if you just threw french fries at my head, you're a freaking fool."

"You didn't even place well." says Jinx. "Third place isn't even successful."

"Says the girl who not only has lived in Honora's shadow her whole life, but also is ranked 12th." says Sylvia.

"Girls, girls, put the claws away." I say interjecting. We are the last 5 at the table. Vera and I have done a pretty good job at staying mutual, but at the rate this is going I'm scared it's going to be an all out brawl in the middle of the shack.

"Stay out of this, Keanu" literally all four of them say at the same time.

I stick my hands up in support as I walk away from the group and head out of the doors. The minute I exit the shack everyone swarms me with questions. I see reporters as flashing cameras in my face, and microphones being placed near my mouth. I push through the crowd and exit, when the sound of a window shattering brings us back to reality. The reporters swarm the inside of the shack and see a full on diva fight between the four girls. Vera slides out of the shack with a devious smile on her face, and makes her way down the street.

"Hey! Why didn't you try and stop them!" I yell.

She turns to me and looks innocent, but she can tell that I'm not going anywhere until I get an answer.

"Sometimes you just gotta look out for yourself, Keanu." she says.

She turns and runs down the street, and turns down the road where they have the skatepark. Following close behind her, I see that she is meeting up with Edith, Carmen, and Artemis. Interesting. Alliances are already forming.

* * *

 _All my life I've been good._

 _But now?_

 _I'm thinking what the hell._

* * *

 **Chanel Lourd, 38**

 **Vice President of Panem**

"A fight in a fast food place?! Are you serious?! This is what our daughters have come to, Mackenzie."

"Chanel, calm down." says Mackenzie.

Her parenting style has always gotten on my last nerve. Little elf child walking around handing out pats on the back, and slaps on the wrist when someone does something bad. That's not how this works. That's not how the world is going to work if one of these girls get out of the freaking arena.

"You know what, no. I'm not going to calm down." I say turning to the girls as they sit on the couch. Honora and Sylvia are both sporting black eyes, and Jade and Jinx have bruises on their arms and legs.

"This is embarrassing." I say. "You kids have embarrassed me. Not only are you representatives that were chosen for the games, but you are direct relative to the country's Vice President! In all my years of parenting I have never been so angry at any of my children un-"

"Chanel, that is enough!" says Mackenzie standing up.

"Fine! Little Elf if you want to take care of this, do what you do best and sweep it under the carpet. Take your girls and get out of my house."

She looks surprised at me, but after a few moments of just standing there I walk over to the door and hold it open. "Don't let it hit you in the butt on the way out."

Her and her daughters leave the room, and when my own try slipping into their rooms I snap my fingers and point back at the couch. They roll their eyes, and I give them a look that let's them know not to play games with me. I'm not in the mood for this crap today.

"Listen Tweedledum and Tweedledee, what in the hell brought you to this conclusion that fighting in the burger shack was even REMOTELY acceptable. You realize it's against the law to fight before the games right?! I have half a mind to have you two locked up and miss the party all together."

"Mom!" they scream, but before they can say anything else I cut them off.

"Don't you dare mom me like I'm the bad guy. You had me have to talk to a Peacekeeper who looked like a goblin, and not only that, but I'm going to have to report this to Quasimoto and she's going to have to talk to you!"

I haven't called Rachel that in years. Something about being a parent makes you grow up. The idea that I even used nicknames like "Quasi", or "McFrizzle" when I was younger is a bit of a surprise to me. I'm not the same selfish girl that won the Hunger Games back in the 298th year. Things are serious now.

I love my kids.

I take a deep breath and give them a chance to get their mean facial expressions out. When everything is calmed down, and I realize that I'm not seeing red I sit down across from them, and look them in the eyes.

"Tomorrow is the graduation party, which is the equivalent to the interviews for when I did the games. I expect you two to be on your best behavior. You're going to have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow for the sponsors. They don't place bets on impulsive tributes, and that's what you showed them you are tonight."

The girls nod and go to their rooms. Honora mumbles under her breath, and then I hear the door slam.

"Oh my gosh I need alcohol." I say as I walk over to the fridge and pull out the bottle of tequila that I've been hiding from the kids. I get out a glass. Not a shot glass, a regular sized glass, and pour the bottle until the cup is filled about halfway.

"I just want to forget tonight." I mutter as I walk back to my room.

I change into my pink pajamas. Some things never change, and the fact that I'm fabulous never get old. Even if I am. It's hard to believe that 18 years of my life have been about these kids. 18 years of my life is something that has the potential to die.

How messed up is that?

Crawling into bed, I remove the covers, and take a sip out of my tequila. Nothing says the day is over like a nice sip of the good stuff. I pull out my book that I've been reading, and try to focus on anything else but the fact that at least 6 of my children are going to die in 2 days.

And there is nothing I can do about it.

 **Well, that was graduation. Definitely wanted to show you guys some of the background. Tomorrow, maybe, will be when I get the interviews out. We will hear from Huck as the MC and each tribute will get a little bit of time, which is probably going to be a quote at the microphone about graduation. If you want your tribute to have a specific quote, PM me.**

 **The list**

 **Victor: Sylvia Hadley**

 **2nd Place: Joseph Aleds**

 **3rd Place: Jade VanBelle**

 **4th Place: Keanu Hargrave**

 **5th Place: Katarina Morellee**

 **6th Place: Caius Sevara**

 **7th Place: Honora Cashmere Flloyd**

 **8th Place: Wyatt Lane**

 **9th Place: Ares Styx**

 **10th Place: Jinx Freight**

 **11th Place: Julian Octavian Maximus**

 **12th Place: Artemis Merone**

 **13th Place: Hazel Patch**

 **14th Place: Nickle Parks**

 **15th Place: Orion Aquarius**

 **16th Place: Vera Naylor**

 **17th Place: Sashen Blaize**

 **18th Place: Ava Willows**

 **19th Place: Edith Blackwood**

 **20th Place: Ellie Zweigle**

 **21st Place: Baptiste L'Acroix**

 **22nd Place: Jayanti Haeok**

 **23rd Place: Shawn Wheel**

 **24th Place: Tycho Brunsfeld**

 **25th Place: Carmen Diego**

 **26th Place: Amandus Porter**

 **Heads up, I do have my bloodbaths mostly picked out. Keep in mind that just because these kids are marked low, doesn't mean they aren't arced ;)**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	17. The Night Before Everything Changed

**We are officially one more chapter away from the bloodbath. Welcome to crunch time snitches.**

* * *

 _Well, I've walked these streets,_

 _In a carnival of sights to see._

 _All the cheap thrill seekers, the vendors, and the dealers._

 _They crowded around me._

* * *

 **Star Fire, 37**

 **Head GameMaker**

Tonight is the big night. I was nineteen years old when all of this started. I have had my reservations about bringing kids back from the dead. After all, I was one of the original victims of that.

These kids had it way better though. They grew up in a family that loves them. They've all been given the chance to train, and all given the same opportunities. All of those factors allowed me to come to terms with the fact that 25 of them are going to die.

They all have it. The fire that I had in my own second chance. They don't even know this is their second chance...at least not yet.

The idea for a carnival arena struck me quite suddenly actually. Carnivals are known for freak shows, and things out of the ordinary. Let me be the first to say that these tributes are anything but ordinary. I can already see the tributes that will go insane, the ones that will fall in their effort to make it to the end. I can see the heartbreak in their parents eyes as one by one their children die.

I'm scared to admit that it excites me.

I'm not a bitch, I'm not a bad person, and I'm certainly not evil. This Hunger Games is making a statement, and it's one I can get behind 100 percent. I've had protesters stand outside my door. Tell me I'm evil, heartless, that I should be sympathetic since I know what they've been through. For the most part, I am.

I'm just ready to see this play out. I'm not going to dread seeing 18 years come to an end. This has been a long and tedious job. One of exams, scores, and angst. So much angst from these kids. I'm just ready to get back to my husband, and give him the time he deserves, to get back to my child, and try and make up for lost time.

The last of the carnival arena was finished yesterday. The launch is going to throw a lot of them off. No more just running into a hidden clearing, they're going to have to work to get away from the bloodbath.

"Ms. I don't think your dress is going to fit."

I turn to the lady talking. She herself is a rather plump lady, and has bright red hair. The mole on her face is distracting when she talks, and I feel like it's all I can stare at when she is talking.

"We can't let it out a little?" I ask sadly. The dress is perfect for tonight.

"I can try."

I didn't put weight on even when I was having a baby. I stayed my size zero, and everything was perfect. Now, because all I do is sit in a room and eat, I've gained two dress sizes. TWO. That is not what I had in mind taking this job.

She starts to hem at the waist line of the dress, and begins to let it out more. I gradually feel more room to breathe, and suddenly I hear the sound of a zipper as it zips up. The lady lets out a noise that let's me know she's pleased with herself, and I'm just happy I get to wear this beautiful yellow dress.

It's a ballgown that goes down to the floor, with ribbons on the top. As in the top is literally made of ribbons. I can pretty much redesign this dress every time I wear it. Which means I get to save some money, which is good. Because my husband likes to freak out about finances.

"That'll be 500$ Ms. Fire." says the lady as helps me squeeze out of it.

"Perfect." I say as I hand her my gold card.

I walk back into the dressing room, and begin to change back into the clothes I arrive in. A girl walks into the room, and takes the dress so she can box it up for me, as I change back into my jeans and a button down flannel.

When I leave the dressing room the lady that fitted me meets me with my card and hand and smiled.

"Have a wonderful evening."

"Oh it will be." I say with a smile as I walk out of the shop.

* * *

 _The time is near._

 _So near it's filling their blood in their veins._

 _Yet beware, don't let the wine go to your brains!_

* * *

 **Wyatt Lane, 18**

 **District 1 Male**

"I want no funny games tonight." says mom as she is putting the finishing touches on her make up. Jade and Sylvia sit on the couch looking sad from the events that took place yesterday. The black eye that Sylvia sticks out like a sore thumb. Good thing she is wearing purple.

"Yes mam." we say in unison.

Truth is it's my last night available to cause some havoc before the games. I'm saying "yes mam", but by saying yes mam I really mean I'm going to get drunk as hell and party my ass off. Not that this would happen, but if for some reason I would lose I would really love to be able to look back on my last night out in freedom and realize that I had the time of my life.

Mom finishes up her makeup and ushers us out into the car. It's a big night for us. I'm a little peeved that the ending of this long process I am technically in 8th place, but the sponsors know my capabilities. They know that I can kill all of these tributes. Not to mention the fact that the "Frat boys" and the "Mean girls" are partnering up for the games. It's going to be a great way to basically crush everyone in our way, and not to mention let all the other tributes know who the alpha male is.

"We will be doing breathalyzers before we leave the event tonight." says mom as she is backing out of the driveway.

"Are you kidding us!?" we all say in unison.

"No." says mom in a way that let's us know that it's not up for discussion.

"Mom, this is potentially our last part, like, ever." says Jade as she throws her head back in anger.

"And don't you want to remember it?"

"Trying to seduce a bunch of old men into sponsoring us so we don't die? Mom, I've had better nights." says Sylvia.

Not that she'll have to convince anyone. She made it to the Victor's seat on her last chance, and she will be rewarded for it. How she got that spot I have no clue. There honestly isn't anything excellent about her. She doesn't go the extra mile, and doesn't seem to really try when it comes to training. Of course, the girls that do try hard are automatically made targets in an environment like this. There is nothing more dangerous than a girl that is not only deadly but smart.

Of course, let's be honest. I'm not worried in the slightest about any of that. Not only am I a fine ass man, but I am going to win this thing, and if I don't it's clearly rigged. The Gamemakers would want a more "underdog winner", and frankly I'm no underdog.

People as charming and wonder as me can never be underdogs.

Arriving at the Presidential Mansion was bitter sweet. For the first time ever, it's kind of hitting me. Like, you know something is going to happen, but all of a sudden it becomes real. A sudden understanding of what life is hits you.

This is my moment. I won't let it slip out of my fingers. I won't let it become a fading memory. _I_ won't be a fading memory.

We load out of the car, and walk into the Mansion. Seeing all of the lavish decor, and the many people who are all here to see us, excites me to my very core. It's time to get started. It's time to get this party going.

It'll be like a mock Victory Tour.

* * *

 _If you want it,_

 _You can have it._

 _If you like what you see,_

 _Then you can grab it._

* * *

 **Katarina Morellee, 18**

 **District 5 Female**

"Oh my gosh these decorations are BEAUTIFUL!" says Ellie in excitement.

She's not lying. They very much are. Beautiful crystal chandeliers, banners made of ribbons, pure gold plates. This place has everything. What it also has is old men with more money than they know what to do with. Want to know what gets the pocketbooks rolling? Cute young girls that stroke their ego.

"Ellie. Focus." I say looking at her sternly.

She snaps back into reality, and gets her game face on. We decided that Keanu, Ellie, and myself would make a really great team. Let's be honest for a second though. Keanu would say something stupid, and mess up ANY chances we had at stealing the sponsors from the "tiny dick" meets "ultra bitchy psycho girl squad.", and not to mention the fact that Ellie is about as bright as a dead light bulb.

"Tell me the plan again."

She rolls her eyes and begins to pout. We've gone over this so many times, and I know she's sick of it, but I can't be with her the whole night. If she sticks her foot in her mouth I need to know that she's capable of getting out of it.

"Well?"

"Shamelessly use my body to attract pervy old men who want a piece of this, so that they sponsor our team in the games." she says in a monotone and bored voice.

"Good, you were listening." I say with a smile. She again rolls her eyes, and begins to pout, and I grab her hand and lead her into the bathroom. "One last makeup check. We'll meet in here for this every 45 minutes." I say.

"Kay." she says as she is reapplying her lip gloss.

Once we're touched up and ready to go out into the party, she looks at me. She looks a bit nervous, and this is frustrating as hell, but I can't have her messing this up for me. I'm by no means a nice person. I'm not a bad person, but I've never been really kind. Like, ever.

"Ellie, you're beautiful. I know that you're going to do amazing." I say with a smile that is sincere as President Rachel's boobs. Ellie seems to buy it though and perks up as we walk out of the bathroom hand in hand. Keanu is talking with Orion and Sashen, and I make a mental note of that. I can't have these two getting in my way.

"You get started Ells. I check on you in a minute."

"Kay!" she says smiling. She walks off to an old man that looks like he hasn't even seen a girl since this party. He's standing against the wall watching everyone dance, and Ellie is super quick to turn on her charm. Good girl, I taught her well.

I walk over to Keanu and the other two as they are discussing what I believe to be sports? Yeah, not something I'm particularly interested in, but I need this conversation to die so Keanu can focus on more important things, like getting me sponsors.

"Hey guys, what's up." I say with a smile.

Sahsen reaches over and gives me a hug, and Orion nods to me as he shrugs me off and continues to discuss sports with Keanu. Keanu, who doesn't seem to get the picture that these lameos need to go, is really frustrating me at the moment.

"Keanu, mom sent me over here to get you. She needed to ask you something." I say. He nods, and says bye to the other two as I lead him away and through the crowd.

"Where is mom?" he ask.

"She doesn't actually need you." I say. He looks shocked, but before he can say anything I keep talking. "Want to know who does need you though? Me. I need you. I need you to get your ass into gear, and start schmoozing these single old widows. The games are TOMORROW, Keanu. We don't have time for you to dick around like always."

He rolls his eyes and walks over to a table with an extremely old woman. She smiles at him as he takes a seat and begins to talk to her. Good, stay there and get her freaking will.

"How're you doing tonight?"

I jump because I didn't know someone was behind me. I turn and see a very attractive middle aged man staring at me. After getting a better look at him, I realize it's Austin Bucks. He's CEO of the company that funded the building of the academy, and since he's had no ties to anything since, he's fair game.

"Mr. Bucks," I say sticking out my hand. "A pleasure."

"What makes a beautiful young lady such as yourself stand alone on such a lavish night."

I turn and walk away, and then turn back telling him to follow. He does, and we are walking throughout the party. "I don't know. I guess I just haven't found anyone of interest." I say moving in and out of the crowds to an empty table in the corner of the room. It's dark, so if I need to do some degrading nonsense, people at least won't see.

"Are you trying to play me." he says jokingly as he narrows his eyes.

"Are you willing to play?" I say with a grin.

He sits down and begins talking to me about his company that I don't care about at all. I laugh at his cheesy jokes, and smile through the uncomfortable part he was talking about his ex wife. He ask me about the training academy, and I answer as honest as I can.

"A pretty girl like you getting an estimated fourth place? That's not bad at all."

"Never underestimate the power of a beautiful woman, Austin." I say as I put my hand on his arm, and lean in. He goes in for the kiss, and then I pull back with a look of regret on my face. "I'm sorry." I say. "I'm just so nervous about tomorrow. I haven't had anyone tell me they'd sponsor me, and it just really makes me nervous knowing we are so close."

He puts his hand on me knee, and I know I've gotten what I want. This man will provide everything I need in the arena, and I will be the victor of this Hunger Games. If I have to stab both Ellie and Keanu to do so I will.

"I can support you, Katarina."

I lean in and plant a big kiss on him.

"That means so much. Thank you."

 _Idiot._

* * *

 _As we go on, we remember._

 _All the times we had together._

 _As our lives change, from whatever._

 _We will still be friends forever._

* * *

 **Huckleberry Jenkins, 42**

 **GameMaker**

Man, if I was in my prime, and wasn't engaged to Mackenzie, I would be tearing this place UP. There are so many sexy girls in here that you'd think it would break the fire code. Not to mention our kids are looking fly as hell, especially mine, I raised them right.

We as parents thought that instead of letting the kids each talk about their own selves, that it would be more beneficial for us as parents to tell the crowd why they are so spectacular. Each parent is going to get the chance to do so, and after the vouch from us, they have a pad that allows them to decide to sponsor that tribute at their table.

"You guys ready for this?" ask Iris.

"No." says Chanel.

"I just want to let you guys know that if I had to do this with anyone, I'm glad that it was you guys." says Mackenzie.

I grab her hand and smile. We decided that Chanel would go first, mostly because we are scared that she would break down in the middle of this, and I'm not in the mood to deal with three crying women. I'm only committed to one, and even though I'm a high key slut, I believe in monogamy.

Chanel takes a deep breath, and walks up to the stage where the microphone is. She taps it three times, and then puts on her vice president smile.

"Hello everyone, on behalf of the kids and the other parents, I just want to say thank you for joining us tonight. I know that these things are sometimes a bother, but we couldn't have put it on without the help of all the old people that fund us with their money." the crowd laughs as she continues on with her speech. "Tonight instead of letting the tributes talk on their own behalf, we decided that we would do it for them. Kind of as a last goodbye I suppose."

Her voice caught, and I can tell that tonight is going to be a bumpy ride.

"Honora Cashmere Flloyd." says Chanel. "You are one of the strongest girls that I have ever known. You know what you want, and you go after it. You take what you feel you're entitled to, and I just know that you're going to make me proud in the arena. You're a fighter, and I believe that you're going to do great."

A screen appears behind Chanel with each of the tributes names. As Chanel continues talking about Honora, her part of the chart rises, and I realize that it's the amount of people that are giving their money to her sponsor fund. Damn, the girl is doing well.

"Orion, you're such an odd ball." says Chanel laughing. "I love the relationship that you have with Sashen. I don't think it's a secret that you look out for numero uno, always. However, it's sweet seeing you look after Sashen. It's nice seeing that you're able to put someone over yourself. I'm so proud to be your mom, and I can't wait to see you do well in the games."

A lot like Honora, Orion's chart begins to rise. His isn't as high as hers is, but the kid definitely won't need a lot in the arena.

"Ares, you're such a trouble maker." says Chanel. "The amount of drama you're going to bring into the games is probably monumental, and I'm not sure the country is ready to see what you're going to do. All of my children will do well, because they're clearly going to crack the top 7. Ares, you're special though. Watch your back in the arena. You know you're a target."

Ares fund grows even more than Honora's did. The kid is beaming sitting at his table surrounded by the young celebrities that made it to the event. They are high fiving him, and patting him on the back, all the while his fund continues to grow.

"Vera, it's been an absolute pleasure seeing the young woman that you've become. From the sweet little girl that wanted to be a fashion designer when she got older, to the girl now that has a shot at winning the Hunger Games. I know you're going to do great."

It's a trending thing in this room with money. It's everywhere, and this graph is making me nervous. Chanel has a way with words being a political figure, but what if we aren't as articulate?

"Sashen, my sweet sweet girl. You make me so proud. You've changed for no one and nothing. You know who you are, and you stand your ground, and proven to be a loyal person. That's going to serve you well in the games. I know people knock you because you're not the highest ranked, but don't count her out just yet. She has some tricks up her sleeves."

Even Sashen, who doesn't really have a knack for training is getting loads of sponsors. I would hate to be the parent of the kid who doesn't get any.

"Joseph, your relationship with Ava is one for the ages. My only hope is that you two find happiness before entering that arena. I know that you're going to do great. Your downfall will be that girl though if you don't think right. Don't give up your shot, kid."

"And lastly, Jinx. You've always been a little bit special. Never once have I been worried about you. You've entertained me with your antics over the years, and I still remember that time you saved all of our lives in that car. I'm not sure if I believe in psychics, but I know that you're something of a force to be reckoned with. I'm excited to see you in the arena."

All of Chanel's kids are going to do really well in the games. Iris is up next, and she looks confident and ready as she walks up to the stage.

* * *

 _Please, don't leave me._

 _I'm always saying I don't need you._

 _It's going to come right back to this._

 _Please, don't leave me._

* * *

 **Mackenzie Barrows, 41**

 **GameMaker**

This is to emotional for me. I've never been good at saying goodbye and the fact that so many are coming at once is sad for me. Even the kids that aren't mine I've grown to love. I don't know how I'm going to get through this. I know that Huck is going to have to put up with a lot when this is all over.

"Hello, my name is Iris Dupree, but most of you watched the show and know that." the audience laughed, and she continued on. "I'd like to start with one of my kids who's a goofball. I wasn't sure how he was going to fair in the training exercises that we had. He's always bouncy and always looking for a way to get the jitters out. Keanu has done so good, and has done even better than I expected him to be. Thank you son, for making me proud."

I know this screen was made for the tributes to be able to see where they stand as far as as sponsors as they are entering the arena, but it's giving me seven different types of anxiety.

"Katarina I've never seen a more...resourceful girl. I remember the little girl that I used to give pep talks to about how she's beautiful and smart. You've taught more about the games than you've realized, and allowed me to come to the realizations that you don't need just brute strength to do well. You tackle everything head on, and I can't wait to see how well you do."

"Ellie, you're such a bright soul. You light up any room you walk into with your bright personality. You make us laugh, and you're always looking for ways to help others. You are going to do well, maybe not because of physicality, but due to your likability. Anyone who thinks that's not a kill, please refer to Ms. Barrows."

"Nickle, you're a good kid. You are funny, and I love that you like to keep things fair for everyone. Keep your head on straight, and know that this is a game of big states. Don't underestimate your opponent and march on strong, kid."

"Amandus, I know that you're having confidence issues going into tomorrow, but you shouldn't. Y'all never watched the Hunger Games, but I would see kids go in, and they would be scared, and petrified, and they would be the ones that won. You have a shot. Don't doubt yourself okay?"

"Hazel, I have no doubts you're going to give it your all. The only concern I have for you, is don't underestimate the hype of people's emotions. Just because you can't feel them, doesn't mean that they aren't real for others. People can go from weak, to immensely strong when angry. So watch out for things like that."

"Lastly, Baptiste, I know that you have your reservations. I raised you well. I've trained you, and so have the other mentors, and we have made you into the person that has everything needed to win these games. Don't let these games ruin you kid. You can pull this out."

There it is, the first kid to get no sponsors. Everyone remembers the time that he locked himself in the bathroom, and wouldn't come out. I told them not to edit that into the show, but no one believed it would effect anything. Iris was furious they put that segment in.

"I'd like to thank everyone for their time, and please give a warm applause for Ms. Mackenzie Barrows."

* * *

 _If I could, then I would._

 _I'd go wherever you would go._

* * *

 **Chanel Lourd, 38**

 **Vice President of Panem**

It's no secret that I'm sad about this whole ordeal. When Star came back in time, I was so sure that this was the right thing to do. I had my ups, and I've had my downs since then, but never been this sad about the games starting.

Then again, I've never had to face the games starting until right now.

Mackenzie looks beautiful in her dress tonight. It's purple with sequins on it. Their shine reflects great off the stage lights that are shining down on her.

"Hello, and thank you for joining us this evening. The first of my children I'm going to talk about is, Tycho. Whether he sees it or not, he was the glue that held this family together. He was always there listening. Anytime someone needed to vent, he was there. Even if he didn't want to. Ty, you aren't invisible. You're noticed. Remember that."

It's amazing the amount of money these people are willing to pour into the games. They fling it around like it's candy, I used to be one of the people that benefited from these people. That's why I think we are all so sad. Everyone of us that is talking tonight, knows what they're going to go through tomorrow.

"Julian, you're a brilliant tribute, but remember that brilliant tribute isn't the equivalent of "it's okay to be cocky tribute." Watch your back in the arena. You're a target from the start, and you'll be one until you either fall or get out."

Mackenzie is being a bit more blunt with her speech than I was anticipating. The audience is responding well, but the girl is truly holding nothing back.

"Shawn, don't start flirting and get yourself killed. You have all the abilities to pull this thing out, but if you allow yourself to be distracted by girls, you'll never be able to truly prove yourself. Besides, you have plenty of time to get with the ladies if you get out."

"Jade, you're so talented. Not only in games stuff, but piano is a gift that you were given. I know that it's hard to feel accepted, and like you fit in when you're from the Capitol, and everyone else is from the Districts. Know that you've made me so proud, and wow'd me more than you know. Third place girl. Talk about improvement."

Jade is someone that I'm nervous from. She is strong, and all around well rounded. What if she's the one that kills my babies? What if she's the one who lets me realize that the wall that I built around my life are coming down shortly?

That's not fair to place only on her though. Any of these tributes, including my own, can kill one of mine. I need to snap out of this and calm down.

"Wyatt, I know you were disappointed with your final ranking. Six years speak for themselves though. You're going to be a formidable tribute in these games. Anyone who doesn't see that is stupid. Good luck, you'll make me proud."

"And lastly, my little 1st placer. Sylvia you've made me so proud, and though your ranking came off as a bit of a surprise, I know that you earned that. You'll dominate these games. I can't wait to see your soar. You're going to do great. Thank you for hearing me out."

The audience applauses, and when Mackenzie gets to the bottom of the stage, Huck wraps her in a hug, and they embrace for awhile before he goes up on the stage to deliver his speeches.

* * *

 _So I hope, life treats you kind._

 _And I hope, you have all you dream of._

 _I wish you joy, and happiness._

* * *

 **Iris Dupree, 46**

 **GameMaker**

"I'll skip the thank yous and all the fun stuff and get to why I'm up here." says Huck as he hops in front of the mic. It was a ballsy thing to say, but the audience seemed to find it entertaining.

"I'm so proud of Edith. I'm proud because she's maintained her goodness throughout this process. It's easy to look at things like this, and become broken. It's easy to let the situations you're in define you. She hasn't let that happen though."

He's talking fast, and I think it's due to the fact that he's trying not to cry. Which is okay if he did. We all kind of cried up there. I just think he wants to be the stoic leader.

"Artemis, girl, you're such a badass. I remember the first time I saw you use a sword. I was so impressed. You're tiny, but you're mighty. You've never allowed anyone to define you, and I know in the games you're going to focus on one things, and that's getting home. Good luck kid."

"Jayanti, you're different. I won't lie, when you told me you were Gender Fluid, I wasn't sure how to react. Growing up in District 10 we didn't see that often, and it wasn't something that people really talked about. Thank you for opening my eyes to the world around me. Pushing me to expand my limits."

That was sweet, but it sounds like he's giving the kid a eulogy already.

"Carmen, there's more to you that meets the eye isn't there? I see it in your stance, you're determination, your fire. You want this. I know you do. You're going to go deep. I won't say that about many of these tributes, not because I don't think they will, but because I don't want to jinx them. Kid, I know you're going deep."

What the hell is he doing putting more targets on her back like that? She's ranked low. If that was her plan let her ride it out, Huck.

"Ava, you've always been so motherly. Thank you for being there for your siblings, because that's what they are, siblings, when I couldn't I wasn't always the best dad, but having a kid like you made it worth something. Your relationship was Joseph is inspiring. I'm just sorry that it had to happen under these circumstances."

"Lastly Caius, you're always so consistent. If I had to pick someone who was the most likely to keep at the rate they are I'd chose you. Thank you for staying true to yourself, and allowing me to grow with you. Kid, you'll do great. And to all the other tributes, know that no matter what happens, you've made us proud."

He walks off the stage to the applause of everyone in the room. It was time for the dancing to begin.

* * *

 _One day more,_

 _Another day another destiny._

* * *

 **Ava Willow, 18**

 **District 3 Female**

The parties been over for hours, but all 26 of us are still in the room. We've been sitting at tables, small talk sometimes, and then other times just sitting in complete silence. Everything is real. Tomorrow is the big day. The day we've been training for since we were 5 years old.

Starting tomorrow 26 are going to enter into an arena, and no one is leaving until there is one left. This is the scariest thing that I've ever imagined.

Our parents have been pretty good at giving us space, but it's rearing close to 1:00AM, and we have launch at 8:00. They walk into the room, and one by one everyone gets up slowly. I've never thought about how our parents knowingly signed up for our death sentence, but they did.

Tomorrow everything changes.

Tomorrow some of the people in this room will be dead.

Looking around at the faces of the people I grew up with gives me great sorrow. How I am ever going to get through these games I have no clue, all I do know is that one of us will.

 **Well, the bloodbath is next. Thanks for sticking with me, and I can't believe we are here at this point. Ava's POV is small, but I just needed a little wrap up for this chapter.**

 **My friend Jenna and I (Best friend irl) just recently started a collab. This story has complete priority until it's finished of course, but we would really love for you to check out. It has nothing to do with this universe. (It's on my profile)**

 **Alliances**

 **Frat Boys/Sorority Girls:** Ava/Honora/Jinx/Wyatt/Joseph/Julian/Nickle/Ares

 **Secret Sisterhood:** Artemis/Carmen/Vera/Edith

 **Silent Besites:** Jayanti/Baptiste

 **Vixens:** Keanu/Katarina/Ellie

 **Random af, but I like them high key:** Orion/Sashen/Jade/Sylvia/Shawn/Caius/Hazel

 **Loners (this isn't an alliance):** Amandus/Tycho

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	18. Bloodbath & Day 1

**Okay, I was to excited to go back to sleep, and here I was typing all of this out. If your tribute dies know that this was hard for me. Like, really hard. Killing tributes is never fun, unless the submitter is a jerk, and none of you are jerks.**

 **Side note: I wish the format was more like google docs. I type like 10 lined paragraphs, and then I get to the freaking story and it shows up as two lines. It sucks.**

* * *

 _I believe the world is coming to an end,_

 _Oh well I guess, we're gonna find out._

 _Let's see how far we've come._

 _Let's see how far we've come._

* * *

 **Joseph Aleds, 18**

 **District 3 Male**

I'm trembling. In a matter of minutes, I'm going to be thrust into an arena with everyone I've known since I was a kid. Forced to kill everyone until I'm either the last standing, or someone else. I'm going to have to go into the Hunger Games with the girl that I love. Everything is coming to an end today.

"Tributes, please sit in front of the screen."

A hole in the ground opens up, and a chair slides out of the floor. I walk over to it and take a seat, and when I do a TV screen appears on the wall. An avox walks into the room holding what looks like a virtual reality helmet and places it on my head with a note attached.

 _If you had a chance to change everything...would you?_

Confused, and a little hopeful that I won't actually have to go into the arena, I place the helmet on my head, and I instantly regret it. A pain shoots through my body, it's so intense that I never have felt anything like it before. Imagine a tractor driving over your head.

Images, a lot like videos with me in them flood into my brain. I don't remember any of these videos, and don't recall any of these memories, but there I am. Clear as day running around. There's a girl with red hair. She is very pretty. Then I died.

The helmet flies off my head and I take a quick inhale of breath. I can't breathe. Everything in me is confused. Brynlee. How could I forget Brynlee?! She was my first love. How the hell am I only 18 years old and in the year 301 ADD when I was in the first Hunger Games?! What the hell is going on?

"Tributes, I'm sure you're very confused," says the voice of President Rachel Callowgwey. "Give me a minute to explain. You all were dead. There is really no other way to say that than to rip the bandage off, but I brought you back to life to give you another go in the real world. A second chance if you would. We've trained you to the best of our abilities so that you could be able to correct the past mistakes of your past. Everyone has skeletons in their closets, can you live with yours? Good luck tributes. May the odds be ever in your favor. Please make your way to the launch tubes."

I find a bit of bliss in the idea set that I'm not the only one who had memories like that flood back, but what am I going to tell Ava? How can I let her know that I had someone else in an old life, and still have feelings for her now that I actually remember her?

Don't get me wrong. I love Ava, I really do, but I can't help but think of Brynlee now. What happened to her?

Entering the launch tube is surreal, everything is going exactly how I always saw they would on the recaps of the games. The glass doors close, and I'm staring at an empty room, that could potentially be my last view of something familiar ever.

The tube rises, and I'm waiting for a moment when I see light, or that I see something that provides a way to be able to see. When the tube starts moving, it's dark all around. Am I stuck in the tube? Is it malfunctioning?

"Hello?" I call

Lights flick on everywhere. Lights of pink, purple, blue, and orange. Arrows are lining the walls, and a creepy looking giant clown is sitting on a box inside a ticketbooth.

"Tributes!" it says in a goofy voice. "Welcome to the Freakshow! Kindly follow the arrows to your destination, there you will get further instructions, and remember have a FANTASTIC RIDE!"

I walk a little cautiously around the clown. I've always hated those things. Who puts makeup on and does weird tricks like that? It's not normal. I don't get how being creepy is fun to anyone.

Arriving at the end of the arrow is a set of stairs. I see that there are 26 multiple staircases and all of us are standing at the beginning of them.

"Tributes. Please don't kill each other yet!" says the voice urgently.

We arrive at the top of the stairs, and what looks like to be a giant white platform. In the very center is the cornucopia with the typical arrangement of goodies, and past that are rollercoaster carts, which I'm assuming is our only way off this platform.

As if on cue the stairs behind me fall the ground, leaving nothing but a timer, and a field full of goodies.

"Tributes, please stay on the big square you're currently on until the time runs out!" says the creepy clown voice.

The clock begins to go down, and it's time for me to get my head back in the game.

* * *

 _All eyes on me in the center of a ring_

 _Just like a circus._

 _When I crack that whip_

 _Everyone gon' trip_

 _Just like a circus._

* * *

 **Carmen Diego, 18**

 **District 1 Female**

Great. So my ally just also happens to be the one that killed me in my last games. This bitch better watch her back, and if she tries any funny stuff I won't hesitate to lay her out. I think she knows that I know, because she's staring at me with a twinge of regret in her eyes. She should be to. I might not be able to do anything right now, but the second this alliance is over, she's gone.

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Besides, it's not like she actually poses a threat. I don't know what happened to her last games, but it certainly isn't something that I'll allow to happen this time around. I will destroy this competition. This is my year.

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Alright Carmen, it's go time. Get your game face on. You have to get a kill. You have to show the sponsors you're worth the money they put towards you.

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Nobody moves. We stand in a circle looking at each other. This is the moment that we've all been waiting for, and everyone just sits there. We stand there for what seems like forever, and if everyone is just going to stand there, then I'm going to get the good stuff.

When I move, that's when everyone starts moving. The first thing that I want to do is locate my teammates. If I can get them rounded up with a decent amount of supplies, we can get out of here unscathed.

I turn and see Artemis as she runs past Nickle and slams him to the ground in the process. Edith is headed straight towards me, and I have half of a mind to kill her now, and just get this crap over with. Vera is still with Honora and Jinx, but I think she is just looking for a chance to get away because she keeps staring at me. Once Artemis and Edith make it to the group, Vera makes a sprint for it from where she was with Honora and Jinx.

They look confused, and then Honora sprints after her in what I assume is her about to kill her. Vera is saved only by the fact that Amandus wasn't paying attention and runs straight into Honora as he was trying to get to the rollercoaster depart. She looks at him angry, and then bends down and snaps his neck.

The first kill of the games.

Once Vera reaches here we load into the cart, and roll down the hill. Once we get to the bottom I turn to Edith and give her a stern look.

"I swear on everything, if you get any funny ideas, I'll kill you right here myself."

She nods as we continue to run down the main clearing of the arena. There look to be four different sections of the arena. One has a merry-go-round that just screams bad news, one has a mirror house, which could get useful in switching things up on our opponents, one is a giant corn field maze, and I assume that's our main refreshment part of the arena, and then there is a carnival game section.

"I vote the mirror house," says Artemis.

We nod as we run towards our secret hideaway for the games. All made it through the bloodbath. All unscathed.

"That was close," says Vera. She looks scared, and really shaken up.

"Don't freak," I say grabbing her hand as we start in this giant maze. "We got you."

* * *

 _How can you see into my eyes?_

 _Like open doors?_

 _Breathing you down into my core, where I've become so numb._

* * *

 **Jinx Freight, 18**

 **District 6 Female**

Everything is moving so fast right now. Normally I'm good at keeping my cool. This however, is making it hard to keep anything anywhere. Turning to my left, I see Nickle jamming a sword into Tycho's heart, and Wyatt and Julian look pained as they watch their brother go down in the bloodbath. I feel a bit remorseful for them, when all of a sudden, I see a short girl run at me.

I sidestep, and then realize that she was never intending to get me. I also realized that it's Sylvia. She is fighting with Honora, and they are currently on the ground rolling around, when I feel a sharp pain in my back. I turn and see Jade standing there with her face looking less than impressed with my fight back.

"You know I was honestly expecting more from a psychic."

It's hard to stand, and she doesn't make it easier when she pulls the knife out of my back. I slowly sink to the ground. Refusing to allow the girl the satisfaction of getting any sort of emotion from me.

"JINX!" screams Honora as she kicks Sylvia off and runs towards me. She wraps her arms around me and begins to cry.

Sylvia is about to run back at her, when Jade pulls her back, and they board the shuttle with the rest of their alliance and slide down the rail. It wasn't something that I ever thought could happen, me dying in the bloodbath. I always assumed that I would be safe during the first half the games.

I guess that is the danger in safety. It's deceiving.

"Jinx, I can't do this," says Honora as she weeps into my shoulder.

I plant my hand on her back and wrap her in a hug to the best of my abilities.

"You better...win…." I say.

* * *

 _There was a time when I was alone._

 _Nowhere to go, nowhere to call home._

 _My only friend was the man in the moon,_

 _and even sometimes he'd go away, too._

* * *

 **Baptiste L'Acroix, 18**

 **District 8 Male**

This is frightening. Everything is moving so fast, and me and Jayanti aren't sure which way to go. There's four different options, but all of them look as if they could cause me some kind of physical harm.

"Where do we go?"

This is stressful, and Jayanti look just as as stressed as I am, and then we heard it. The sound of a cart clicking into place. We turn and see Katarina, Ellie, and Keanu getting out of their cart. They're carrying multiple weapons, like knives, a sword, and a lasso. When they get out, and they see us, Jayanti and I try to run towards the mirror house, but the lasso wraps around my foot, and I'm being dragged back.

When he sees me being dragged, Jayanti turns around and tries to pull me from the opposite way, but he's tackled by Katarina.

"You should have left him, Jay," she says.

"Wait!" I say. "Let him go. Do what you need with me, that's fine. Just let him go."

"Fine." says Katarina as she motions to Keanu. He gives me a sorry look as he takes his sword and shoves down into my stomach. A lurch of pain shoots through me, and it's like nothing I've ever experienced in my whole life.

Jayanti fights off Katarina, as blood starts to pool around me like mini red rivers. The pain intensifies as Keanu pulls the sword out of my stomach, and everything is getting fuzzy. The last thing I see before everything goes black is Katarina slitting Jayanti's throat.

* * *

 _I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose._

 _Fire away, fire away._

 _Shoot me down, but I won't fall._

 _I am titanium._

* * *

 **Caius Sevara, 18**

 **Capitol Male Tribute**

The corn field seemed like the most logical choice for a group of our size to come to. Amazingly, all of us made it out of the bloodbath. We had our doubts about Jade and Sylvia making it, but the two girls proved to be strong enough to take on some of the strongest competitors in the competition.

"So what do we do from here?" asks Hazel as she sits on the ground. She puts her hands behind her as she leans back against them.

"Well, we wait for now," says Shawn. "There is a big alliance, and I can't imagine them waiting around for everyone to come out of hiding. If anything we better get ready for the worst case scenario. It's been a few hours since the bloodbath, and I bet they're getting ants-"

As if on cue, we hear a number of voices approaching us. I wasn't quite sure who it was until I heard Honora's angry growl as she is stomping around. Jinx's death has affected her more than I realized it would. It's surprising that the ice princess has a heart.

"Well, this could be troublesome," I say as I start to get up and frivolously start to pack away the little supplies of food and weapons that we have.

"Well, what do we have here."

To our dismay, before we had time to even move the entirety of the Frat and Srat alliance makes their way into the clearing. They look beat up and bruised, and angry. Mostly angry than anything. Wyatt leads the way with a sword, followed closely by Ares.

"Looks like we get to have some fun, boys." says Ares with a taunting smile.

Hazel stands up and smiles insincerely. "Come on guys, for old time's sake. There has been enough death today. Let's not continue to open up wounds by continuing it."

"What do you care?" asks Nickle as he looks mockingly at her. "It's not like you can feel anything anyways."

"That is uncalled for, Nickle," says Hazel coldly.

"Fine, I have a heart. I'll only kill one of you," says Wyatt smiling.

This is so uncalled for. Yes, we are in the Hunger Games. Yes, we are supposed to fight to the death, however I'm not as bloodthirsty as the rest of these tributes. I've never understood the process of making someone feel inadequate and belittling them to the point where they feel helpless. We've had 5 kids we've grown up with die today. Why do we need to add a sixth?

"No one is going to offer anyone up?" asks Wyatt. "Fine. I can pick. Eeny, meeny, miney, you." he says as he takes a knife out of Ava's hands and flings it into Shawn's head. He falls, and the cannon fire is deafening. He was here. Right in front of me, and then the next moment… just gone.

They begin to walk away, but an anger rages inside of me. This isn't right. This isn't fair. Everyone crowds around Shawn, tears are being shed, hearts are being broken. I'm not feeling any of that. I pick up the spear from the floor, and lean back hurl the spear into the corn maze.

I know it's a long shot, and I wasn't expecting anything to come from it, but I heard a scream, and then another cannon sounded. The idea that I just killed someone, I can no longer claim innocence in all of this. I've become the problem.

"We're even then," says Wyatt with a cocky sound to his voice.

Right as they leave, the arena changes from day to night, and the anthem sounds. The logo of the country appears in the sky, and we are looking at the words in the sky that shake everyone in the group.

 **The Fallen**

 **Nickle Parks, District 4**

 **Tycho Brunsfeld, District 5**

 **Jinx Freight, District 6**

 **Jayanti Haeok, District 6**

 **Baptiste L'Acroix, District 8**

 **Amandus Porter, District 9**

 **Shawn Wheel, District 10**

"He might have been an ass, and also liked looking at mine," says Jade, "Shawn didn't deserve that though. Nickle, well my only regret is I didn't do it myself."

"We made it past the first day," says Sylvia staring at the last picture of Shawn as it fades into the sky.

"We should move so they can collect the body," says Hazel. Sometimes it's great that she doesn't have emotions. It makes it better for people who can't say the things that she says.

We collect our supplies, and with one last look to Shawn, we wave goodbye to our fallen friend. To some a fallen brother. He will be missed.

 **We have finally gotten to my favorite part in the story. Killing all your tributes. AYEEE. High key, I know this part sucks. If I killed your tribute, know that it's just I couldn't find an arc for that character. Everyone sent in such beautiful tributes, and learning and discovering them for this story was amazing. However, only one of these kids is getting out.**

 **Alliance Update**

 **Srat/Frat:** Ava/Honora/Ares/Wyatt/Joseph/Julian

 **Dysfunctional cause Edith killed Carmen past life?:** Carmen/Edith/Artemis/Vera

 **Vixens:** Katarina/Ellie/Keanu

 **This got dark and made me sad:** Caius/Jade/Sylvia/Hazel/Jade/Orion/Sashen

 **Eulogies**

 **26th Place: Amandus Porter (Killed by Honora Cashmere Flloyd)- Amandus was submitted as a bloodbath, and let's be honest. I needed at least one submission like that. It wasn't exactly a district spot that was flying off the shelves either, so thanks Starry for sending him in.**

 **25th Place: Tycho Brunsfeld (Killed by Nickle Parks)- Gryffindor I'm sorry that I killed Tycho, you kind of fell of the face of the planet with this story though. I did warn people if they weren't reviewing that their tribute would go bye bye. I did originally have plans for him, but if there's someone that is continuously reading and reviewing, compared to someone who isn't, I'll always save the reading person's tribute. (That actually saved a couple of you.)**

 **24th Place: Jinx Freight (Killed by Jade VanBelle)- Haley, I'm so so so sorry. Jinx is great, I just had SUCH a hard time writing this chick. She was good, and always someone that was interesting to hear about in the background, but when it came to actually writing a POV it was so hard for me. It's nothing personal, Boo. Love ya lots.**

 **23rd Place: Jayanti Haeok (Killed by Katarina Morellee)- Haiden, I am sorry. Jayanti was good, and there was nothing explicitly bad about them. However, in a group full of the big personalities, it was SO easy to fade into the background for him. Killing him in the bloodbath made the most sense to me, only due to the fact I wouldn't know where to do it later.**

 **22nd Place: Baptiste L'Acroix (Killed by Keanu Hargrave)- Anna, again same. It was hard to figure out a place for Baptiste in a cast such as this. He was such a gentle person in such a brutal games. He wasn't someone like Ava who had Joseph watching her. It just made the most sense in my head. This is absolutely nothing personal at all.**

 **21st Place: Shawn Wheel (Killed by Wyatt Lane)- Sally, the alliance was just too big! He was a fun character to write for, but I couldn't justify bringing him farther than this. I'm so so sorry. I hope you'll continue to read my friend.**

 **20th Place: Nickle Parks (Killed by Caius Sevara)- Abby, this was nothing personal. I didn't intend for him to die here, but looking at everything I feel like I murdered the character he was supposed to be. I also felt like if he was to get an arc, from the form I got, would be very dad centered, and like...his dad is dead at this point. It wasn't anything against you dead. You're still a little SMOL Child.**

 **Sad to see anyone go?**

 **What's in store for day 2?**

 **Predictions on who's next?**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	19. Day 2

**I won't lie to you when I say that I was 150% planning on summarizing the story. I've been very defeated in the writing process in this story, and I think it has a lot to do with I feel like people aren't reading, but as I started writing this summary I felt bad, because I know there ARE people reading, just not as many as I'd LIKE to be reading, which are the people that submitted.**

 **So with that said, I won't be summarizing this story, and as defeated as I feel, I am excited for the new project me and my friend Jenna is writing, so it gives me inspiration to power through this one, while working on that one. (Which I don't want to toot my own horn, but we are bringing the FIRE on that thing), so I hope that you'll submit. Anyways, here is day 2…**

* * *

 _I will run back to your_

 _sweet loving arms._

 _Hold on tight, hold on strong._

 _Cause I'm sailing back home._

 _To the house on a hill._

* * *

 **Sashen Blaize, 18**

 **District 12 Female**

So the last thing I want to do is sound like a baby, but this corn field gives me the heeby-jeebies. I have been up all night, because I swear, actually not even swear, I promise that I've heard noises the entirety of the night. I'm pretty sure I saw a pair of eyes poking through the corn field.

We are all sitting around the fire that Caius managed to build for us making breakfast. After he killed Nickle yesterday, which is something still very fresh for a lot of people, we got tons of sponsor gifts from people. The notes were heartless and cold.

 _Good job! Keep it up, kids!_

As if the price of human life is equivalent to the bread rolls they sent our way after the murder. This whole games is one twisted thing. I wish I never met anyone of these kids. Maybe if I hadn't this would be easier. The idea that Nickle, Shawn, Amandus, even Jinx dying would be something that I could wrap my head around. Something that maybe I could even get behind.

 _Yeah right, Sashen. Like you could ever get behind taking a life._

"I think we should get moving. The other alliances know where we are," says Hazel.

I appreciate Hazel in this games. She's always been someone I've kind of been jealous of. She doesn't feel anything. She doesn't have any emotional hindrances in this situation. It's always been, get out of the games, get home alive, everything will be okay. What's it like to live like that? To feel nothing?

"Yeah, let's get moving." says Caius.

Speaking of not feeling, I wish he had what Hazel has. He was mumbling in his sleep all night. Something about how he didn't mean it, how he should have himself pay for what he did to Nickle. It's sad. I wonder how our parents are looking at us right now. Wonder if they're proud of how we are handling ourselves, are they screaming their lessons we learned for all those years at the screen? Are they wishing they could stop it?

Does it hurt them to see the ones that died?

I just don't get it. My whole life, well second life, well wait, I guess it's third life now? Why the hell do I keep getting brought back to these things? I'm clearly not very good at this type of situation. I keep losing. Why would parents, raise children to go die? Was it something that just slipped out of their head?

"Oh yeah, we had those kids. Yeah, they're going to die in a short while! Haha, am I right?" How do they live with themselves? Not only did they send us in here to die, but they lied about our past! They let me think that I was adopted. That I was loved enough to get brought somewhere, and was selected. Like I was special. I was chosen because they didn't want to reap new people.

"Sashen?"

Orion's face draws me into reality. He looks concerned for me as I am deep in thought. Everyone else has moved on, and we are the only two left, and it's then that I realized that we are at the bottom of the totem pole. Sylvia, Jade, Caius, and Hazel. They don't particularly care for me or O. They just wanted to not be mean. Why would you leave your alliance?

"Come on, they left us." says Orion holding out his hand.

He helps me up, and we begin to walk. I see a triangle that is standing tall out of the corner of my eye, and I realize it was what I was seeing last night.

"O," I say. "Something isn't right."

Right as I say that, three scarecrows come out of the corn fields looking at us. They look harmless, but the minute Orion and I try to walk past them, they instantly turn lethal. They get knives at the end of their hands, and their plush exterior turns into something that looks firm, and hard.

Orion grabs his sword, but he doesn't have a lot of time to react before the scarecrow jumps at me. I close my eyes, and wait for the impact of the scarecrow, but it never comes. When I open my eyes, I see Orion with a knife sticking out of his back. I let out a yell that brings Sylvia, Jade, Caius, and Hazel running back to the clearing we were once in.

The scarecrow pulls the knife out of his chest, and he slumps to the ground. I bend down with him, tears flowing out of my eyes. I can't believe that this has happened.

"O," I say as I weep with my head against his chest. "You can't leave me. You can't. I need you." I say as my voice shakes.

"You...are..strong."

A cannon sounds that shakes me to my very core. I can't believe my childhood best friend, since we could walk, is lying dead before me. We were supposed to have so much time together. We were supposed to be in the final 2.

"Sashen, we are so sorry…"

"Stop talking." I say picking up my head from my dead friend.

"No, Sash, please underst-"

"Stop. Talking." I say forcefully. I've never used this tone with anyone before, and all of my allies stare at me shocked. "You guys should have been here. If you had been here he'd be alive. He wouldn't have had to worry about me dazing off, because we didn't have selfish pricks in the alliance."

I've never spoken this way. I'm full of rage. I'm not worried about their opinions, or their feelings. I'm enraged for my dead friend.

"Now turn around, and let's get moving now that my friend is dead and the hovercraft needs to come and collect his body." I say walking directly between Sylvia and Hazel and pushing through them.

* * *

 _Standing in the hall of fame._

 _The world's gonna know your name._

 _Cause you shine with the brightest flame._

 _And the world's gonna know your name._

* * *

 **Vera Naylor, 18**

 **District 11 Female**

Jinx is dead.

One of my best friends, since I was a kid, is dead, _and I don't feel anything._

I'm scared of this version of myself. The version of myself that every time I hear a cannon I get excited. It's one less person for me to have to fight through to get to the end. I didn't get a fair shot last time. I didn't get an equal chance to do something spectacular. 18th place.

That's all that reels through my ears. 18th place.

 _I'm better than 18th place._

Honora lucked out at the bloodbath. Had I been how I am now, she wouldn't be standing here. She's the biggest threat I have here, let's be honest. Carmen is a smart girl, a hell of a lot smarter than I've given her credit for, but she won't win. Mark my words, I'll make sure of that. Artemis has her head so far up her own butt, I doubt she'll be able to pull it out enough to actually focus on the games. Speaking of not all there, I don't even think Edith is even aware of where she is. The girl is perfectly competent, but there is not one thing about her that screams Victor.

"We've seen no action since the bloodbath." says Artemis as she is organizing some of the very limited supplies that we were able to pick up at the bloodbath. A few bags of beef jerky, 2 bottles of water, a weapon of our choice except for me. I was too busy running from Psycho Cashmere Flloyd.

"That could be bad?" ask Edith confused. She clearly isn't paying attention to the patterns of these games. When groups of people don't see any action, that's when people start to die. That's when mutts start to make an appearance.

A creepy laugh shakes the entire room to it's core. We are sitting in one of the main chambers in the maze. There are mirrors on each side of us forming walls, and on all of them are doors that lead to a new part of the maze. We are essentially a sitting duck in this room.

Edith lets out a shrill scream, and we all turn to our left and see a reflection of a scary clown in the mirror. He's not in any of the doors, which means he's getting closer, and he's somehow being reflected to us. He has red hair, and blood smeared all over his face. He looks like one of those creeps that are perfectly content with cutting off your face and wearing it to a birthday party.

"Girl," says Carmen. "I don't think I HAVE to say this, BUT RUN!"

We all get up, and for some smart reason we feel that running in separate doors would be the most appropriate thing. I round the corner of the maze, and make a left, and a right, then another left, and another right. Then I hear a chainsaw. I stop when I hear a footsteps coming towards me, and want to turn around, but I feel too scared to move. I haven't a weapon on me, and that's probably not a good thing when being chased by a scary as hell clown.

The footsteps are running, and they're continuing to get closer.

 _Vera, you can do this. You can do this. You're better than 18th place._

I take a deep breath and stand up strong as I lift my leg up ready to junk-kick this guy. When the footsteps are about five feet away is when I round the corner and slam straight into Edith.

"WHAT THE HELL!" I scream.

"I don't know how to do this thing." she says as tears are welling in her eyes. We both stand up and dust ourselves off when we hear a chainsaw again. We turn and see the clown at the end of our maze hallway. He looks pleased to see us, as he revs the engine on the chainsaw.

"Hey little girls," he says. "Wanna play?"

"We're good for now I think." I say grabbing Edith's hand and running down the corridor I was hiding in. We make a right, a left, another right, and then another right. When we are standing face to face with the clown again.

"There is no way." I say backing up when he turns to face us.

"Look what I can do." he says as he steps into the mirror, and then steps out. "Wanna see another trick I can do?"

He steps back into the mirror and walks up to Edith's reflection. When he stands behind her, he revs the chainsaw and slashes Edith's head off. I scream because that's so gruesome, but then I feel some red and sticky stuff on my hand.

I look over at Edith, and her head is currently on the floor. Her body is starting to slump, and her cannon has just sounded. Holy crap, he can kill us through the reflections.

"You're next girly." he says as he looks at my reflection.

I turn and punch the air, which in my reflection happens to be the place of his nose. He screams out in pain, and then I junk kick him like I originally planned. I run down the corridor, and he continues to appear in all of the mirrors I run by, constantly swinging his chainsaw attempting to kill me. It's causing me to do a weird dance like run, as my reflection is constantly having to dodge the blade.

When I get to the main clearing, Artemis and Carmen are there, and they're panting as they both stand with their hands on their knees.

"Guys," I say finally able to breathe a second. "We need to run, he can kill people through their-"

"Reflections." says Artemis showing me a nasty cut on her arm. "Time to move, I hear the chainsaw."

We run out of the way we think we entered the maze yesterday after the bloodbath, and to our great pleasure, we end up at the opening. We lay down on the ground and take a minute to just breathe, and it's then when Artemis looks up at me and notices Edith isn't there.

"He got her." I say quietly.

We sit there in silence. I don't think we were expecting someone in our group to die so soon. This was such a random event. She didn't have to go out that way. She didn't have to die. She didn't even have a chance to understand the situation, or what even was going on with the reflection killer.

"We can't mourn the losses until we are sure we won't be one of them," says Carmen as she is wiping a tear away from her eye. "Girl might have killed me in a past life, but she was a good one."

"Good people never win the games," says Artemis standing up. "We can't sit here and whine and bitch until something new happens. We need a gameplan. That came from pure irresponsibility."

She's not wrong. There was no communication. We never talked about what would happen if someone came into our base to try and kill us. We never discussed battle plans, and who would fight who.

"Let's move. Edith wouldn't want us to sit around and be killed ourselves." says Carmen.

I turn back to the maze as the other girls are walking off in the general direction of the carnival games section of the arena.

"Rest in peace, girly." I say as I follow them off into our new base.

* * *

 _Round, and round, and round we go._

 _Where it stops nobody knows._

 _It ain't slowing down._

 _This merry-go-round._

* * *

 **Keanu Hargrave, 18**

 **District 11 Male**

This merry-go-round is sick. In the center column, there is a room, and it has three beds. We initially thought that there was something a bit wonky, but we would have been dumb to pass off such luxury in a game where there isn't much.

The center column's entrance was hidden really well, we actually found it because Ellie tripped, and fell onto a certain horse. Had she not done that, we wouldn't be sitting pretty.

"I can honestly see us staying here at least until the top 15." says Kat as she runs her finger through her hair. Some things never change, and one of them being the fact that my sister is incredibly vain.

What also doesn't change? I know I'm going to have to kill her relatively soon. I know the Katarina has a good shot at winning this whole game. She is not even good with weapons, and yet she consistently placed high in the training ranks. She is a smart girl, and certainly not one to underestimate.

Ellie on the other hand. I have half of a mind to take her to the final two with me. Maybe she would trip and fall on her own weapon, and I wouldn't have to do a thing! Don't get me wrong, I love my sisters, truly I love them.

What I don't love though is dying, and when it all comes down to it I'll do anything to not do that again. I came so close last time. So close to actually becoming a Victor. 3rd place is such a let down to die in. 3rd place is saying "well, you were almost, almost good enough." Although I will say that second place is way worse that third.

"Can we talk about something?" ask Ellie as she sits down.

"What's up, L?" ask Kat as she is now putting her hair up into a tight bun.

"I wanted to talk about our original games. I want to know how you two did," she seemed really upset. I wonder how she did her last games.

"Well, I mean. I did okay," she Kat as she leans back against the wall that her bed is up against. "I didn't do exceptionally well or anything."

"I don't buy that." I say.

She looks at me confused, and a little hurt. She should know by now that doesn't do anything to me. I'm one of the only people in that whole family who was able to tell this girl the word "no". She is a very entitled person, and I was hoping this time in the games would make her grow up a little before I had to kill her.

"What do you mean you don't buy it?" she asks.

"Exactly what I said. You don't do as well as you did in training all these years, and then only do okay." I say.

"I agree, Kat." says Ellie.

"What the hell is this?! Gang up on Katarina day?"

"We are just saying that it doens't make sense for you to do okay when you're clearly doing exceptionally well now-"

"I got third okay?!"

There is a pause in the room, and everyone is looking off to the side. I expected Kat to do well, but I never expected her to do that well. She wasn't someone I pegged to be exceptionally strong. Let alone get third place. We might have to dissolve this alliance faster than I thought.

"What about you two?!" she snaps at us. "How'd you two do!?"

"I…" Ellie trails off as she bows her head in shame. Something tells me that this girl didn't do too hot in her first go around in this. "I got 24th."

The room fills yet again with an awkward silence that allows for more tension to become present. Kat goes over to her and wraps her arm around her.

"It's okay, girl." she says. "You've already done better this time."

"What about you, Keanu?"

"I got 10th." I say.

There is no reason for me to give away vital information. Katarina is the kind of person who plans five steps ahead, and me doing well in my last games would make her recalculate anything. I might be able to out brute her, but one thing I can't do is outthink her. She's a smart girl, and knows exactly what she's doing. It would be like me signing my own death warrant.

"Well then, now that we have that all out of the way. It's time for something to happen." says Ellie.

"What do you mean."

"It's been too quiet. Something is bound to happen today."

A voice comes on into the column, and little black seat belts appear on our beds.

"Tributes! Please buckle up! Safety first. You have 10 seconds."

We fumble with the buckle, and I hear two clicks as Ellie and strap the belts around and get them in place. Katarina is still fumbling with her.

"4, 3, 2, 1" I hear her seatbelt click. "Let's ride!"

The merry-go-round shoots up.

* * *

 _We are nothing without each other._

 _When it's said and done._

 _We are oceans crashing together._

 _The storm is on the run._

 _We are madness, we are beauty, we're our own redemption._

 _Can't let these walls come between us,_

 _our hearts will bleed, as one._

* * *

 **Ava Willows, 18**

 **District 3 Female**

Joseph has been acting so weird since we made it into the games. He's been very antisocial with the rest of since the bloodbath. He didn't kill anyone, I didn't kill anyone. I mean he lost one of his siblings, but he and Jinx never seemed close.

He's sitting by the fire by himself. That's all he really does now. He keeps the fire and makes sure that everything is set to go for when someone wants to cook something. The good part about being in the Frat or Srat alliance is the fact that we have more than enough food.

I cross over to the fire and tap him on the shoulder. I just got a sinking feeling in my stomach, and I wish I could instantly take this choice back.

"What do you want, beautiful?" he says with a forced smile.

"Let's talk." I say.

I help him up, and we interlock fingers as I lead him towards the tower that started the bloodbath. It might be morbid, but the sun is starting to set, and I've always wanted to do this with him. We just never got around to actually doing it. When we get to the top he sits there, and I immediately feel him shutting down. I just want to know why. Why won't he let me help him? Why won't he realize that this is our last few days alive?

"Joseph, what's wrong?"

He makes a face and shrugs his shoulders as he shakes his head. "Nothing." he says.

"Don't tell me nothing. We've been together since we were twelve. I know when you're upset."

The fact that we have been dating longer than most marriages is a real testament of my feelings for the kid. He's special, and he makes me feel special like I can do anything. I just want to help him. That's my only concern right now, is making him feel better.

"I got my memories back." he says as he is avoiding eye contact with me.

"And…?" I ask

"I was in the first Hunger Games." he says. I let the initial shock of that sentence fall over me before he continues with what he was saying. "There was a girl, her name was Brynlee, and she was from District 10. Ava, I loved her...I'm scared to admit that I still do."

Just like that the house that I built fell, and the walls that were surrounded me closed in. I can't breathe, there is sudden change in the air, and before I know it trying to control myself as sadness is boiling over me. I will not cry. I will not show him that this has upset me more than anything ever could,

"Oh…" I say.

"These years with you have been the best of my life, Ava. They weren't a lie. I still love you. I do, I just am having to balance so many different emotions and feelings right now, and I don't know how to process them."

I just continue to stare at him. I don't know what to say. How do you begin to even talk about the boy you love loving someone else?

"This is too much." I say getting up from the edge we were dangling our feet off of. As I cross the platform I notice two things. The first, is that there are a huge flock of birds flying towards us. The second, is that they're not flying for _us._ They are flying towards _me._

I scream, and Joseph gets up and sees the birds. He runs and tries to pull me to the cart, but when I get close enough to where I can jump in, a thousand little birds are pulling my shirt backwards towards the ledge. Screaming I try flailling my arms, but everytime I swat some away, they just switch positions. They're dead set on killing me.

"Ava! Hold on!" screams Joseph as he runs into the birds. He begins physcially pulling the birds off of my shirt as they continue to peck away. I am running in one direction, while Joseph is helping pull me, and then the birds let go. I jump into the rollercoaster cart, and turn around and see that Joseph is being surrounded by them already. They are pulling him towards the edge, but I notice he is pulling them towards the button that sends the cart soaring to the bottom.

"Joseph!" I scream as I attempt to get up out of the cart, but the seatbelt wraps around my waist, and I realize that he is already at the switch.

"I love you." he says as he pushes the button, and then birds pull him over the ledge and carry him off.

Tears are flying down my face as I watch him get taken into the sky by thousands of little black birds. Once they reach a certain height, they throw him into the air, and once again surround him. His cannon sounds, and I scream as I watch a human like structure fall near our campsite.

I run through the camp, and everyone notices I'm extremely distraught. They all follow me as I am sprinting towards where I saw Joseph land.

To my horror, when I get to the clearing, all I see is bones. Skeleton pieces that are broken apart, and no skin to show that this was once a perfect. His beautiful face that once gave me so much happiness, that I kissed so many times, is now gone. Standing before me is the bones of my one true love.

"Woah." says Ares from behind me.

A hand appears on my back, and I realize that it's Honora. The once heartless girl wears a face of pure sympathy as she brings me into a hug, and holds me. I don't know what I'm going to do now. The one thing I know that has to happen is I have to win.

 _I will not let him die in vain._

Night falls, and the sunset we were trying to see is gone. We watch as the seal of the Capitol plays into the night sky, and flashes the names of the fallen from today.

 **Joseph Aleds, District 3**

 **Edith Blackwood, District 7**

 **Orion Aquarius, District 7**

"This is getting real." says Wyatt looking around at the group.

"Sure is." says Ares. "May they rest in peace."

 **I didn't plan on killing three people this chapter. It just kind of...happened. I'll explain why so many mutt deaths happened this chapter, next chapter.**

 **Eulogies**

 **19th Place: Orion Aquarius(Killed by Mutt)- Orion was a good tribute. I was having trouble figuring out who I needed to kill, and Red offered him up. I chose to follow through with it because through his death I was able to figure out a way for Sashen to grow. I'm excited for her new arc, and I hope you guys enjoy it to.**

 **18th Place: Edith Blackwood (Killed by mutt)- I killed Edith this chapter, because like I said, I look at who's reading. Wizzy you've reviewed a bit, but I needed to take someone out in that alliance, and out of the three girls you were the one that I didn't see reading very often...I still love ya though man! I understand life gets busy. :D**

 **17th Place: Joseph Aleds (Killed by mutts)- Joseph and Ava were getting annoying to write for me, and ultimately it came down to one thing. I created Joseph. So I killed him. Meh, he wasn't going to make it much further than this chapter if he didn't die here.**

 **Surprised?**

 **Predictions?**

 **Cliffhanger for the Vixens! Any idea what's happening?**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	20. Day of Blood

**I told you guys that I would be finishing this by the time I leave for Australia, and I have 18 days. Let's freaking do this.**

 **You're either going to love this chapter, or hate it. I was pissed off for over 93% of this writing this. I'm really sorry ahead of time.**

* * *

 _Spinning around, I got a funny feeling._

 _Turning my whole world upside down._

 _I'll keep my heart, my eyes on you._

 _Cause you keep me spinning around._

* * *

 **Ellie Zwiegle, 18**

 **District 10 Female**

The column that was once solid and nontransparent is now a giant glass tube that holds. We've been up here since yesterday. We are over the entire arena, and I've seen little black birds flying around everywhere. We watched them tear apart Joseph yesterday. That was scary.

"I think it's safe to say that there isn't any way to get out of here other than what they expect us to do." says Keanu as he is searching back and forth between Kat and me.

It's been a few hours. There was an empty bottle that we had in our bag that is around a 3-liter size that we've used as a bathroom since what we are calling "the ascension." Let me tell you that peeing in a bottle as a female isn't easy. It's not easy at all.

"What do you think they want from us?" I ask a little nervous. This whole experience has been one for the books. It's been long and frustrating, and for some reason, I never saw it coming.

Our parents never prepared us for killing each other. Sure they always said that we would have to. Sure we would always joke and say who would be a bloodbath, but never in a thousand years did I ever think we would actually be in this situation. I believe we are in the top 16 now. 10 of us are dead and had to die in order for me to get here. It's a hard pill to swallow.

What really puffles my jigglies, is the fact that our parents knew what this was like. They knew what it was like to be in the Games. What it was like to watch someone die. To feel the power in your body as you take someone's life. The scary thrill of it all as you actually enjoyed the power.

 _And not one of them warned us._

I thought this would be easy. I didn't think I would have to deal with so much pain and hurt.

"We won't know until they want us to." says Kat as she inspects her nails to make sure they are all perfect. I never understand how she's so willing to always look like nothing is wrong. I don't see the benefit of looking like a doll.

"Tributes, please settle into your beds."

We look at each other before we walk back to the beds that we have been staying in since the start of the games. Once we are sitting down, a silver box appears around us, and I let out a scream of fright. It's a dark room, and it's small. The size of a twin sized bed. The only light comes from the very center of the wall that is facing me, and it's a tiny red dot.

"Guys?!" I scream. "Is anyone there?"

"Tributes, please shut up." says the same voice.

I have to tell you I'm not a fan of all these voices telling me what to do. All they do is screw me over, and over, and over again. I'm tired of it.

"Don't tell me what to do." I respond haughtily.

"Ellie, shut up." says the voice.

The red dot spreads over the whole entire wall and then fades out. I'm sitting in complete darkness until a blue screen appears on the wall. I reach out and touch it and I realize it's a touch screen.

"What the hell.." I say looking at this weird contraption.

"Tributes, you've been tasked with something very important." says the voice. "Since you were the lucky three to find our room of luxury, we have allowed you to make a choice."

The voice doesn't respond again, and then one by one, all 16 of us that are left appears on the screen.

"Tributes, you three are responsible for picking one tribute to die. You all get one vote, if you don't agree, it'll be one of you. Katarina is represented by the yellow dot on your screen. Keanu is represented by the blue dot on the screen. Ellie is represented by the pink dot. May the odds be ever in your friend's favor."

Nobody's mouse moves, but this is a huge opportunity. We hold so much power. We can take out anyone of the tributes that we want. We can take out a powerhouse like Ares, or Wyatt, or maybe even Honora.

Katarina is the first to move her mouse as it drifts over to Wyatt, the yellow dot begins circling around the picture of the boy from district 1 in a hasty way. Keanu then moves his dot to Honora and starts to write out letters with his dot. It doesn't leave the markings, but I think it says "While we can."

Truth be told both of those are tributes that I would like to not have in the games anymore.

"Can I take out both of them?" I ask myself quietly.

"No.," says the voice.

"I wasn't asking you." I say.

I draw my dot over to the picture of the person that is about to have their last few breaths.

"I'm sorry…" I whisper.

* * *

 _My wish for you._

 _Is that this life becomes all that you want it._

 _I hope your days stay big, your worries stay small._

 _You never need to carry more than you can hold._

* * *

 **Ares Styx, 18**

 **District 12 Male**

The ground is shaking.

I can't believe that on top of everything else these people have put us through their adding earthquakes to the mix. This would be a nice time to kill Honora though. I've been waiting. I've waited years for an opportunity like this. I know mom will be mad when I get out of the games, but she really isn't even my mom.

"Everyone, take cover." says Wyatt.

We've all been taking shifts on Ava to make sure she's okay, and right now it's his turn. I know it seems pointless to make sure someone doesn't do something stupid when their death can very well mean your survival. Ava is different, though, she's always been better than the rest of us. Even someone like Edith failed in comparison to her compassion. She's such a sweet and nurturing person, it felt wrong to leave her in self-sorrow.

We split up and all hide near the base of a tree. I'm not sure if that's proper earthquake after all I've never been in one. However, it seems like a sturdy foundation in which that I will be able to take cover.

"Guys," screams Honora over all the moans of the giant platform not to far away from me. "This has to be mutt work. One of us is about to go." she says.

This is too much that someone is allowing them to kill us off randomly by mutts. No one has really killed anyone since the bloodbath, the only explanation I can think of is that our parents want to make it as easy for us as possible to not have to take each other out. What they're doing, however, is giving me anxiety problems. I was about to go take a dump before they started shaking the ground.

"This is such bullshit!" says Wyatt as he looks up at the camera and sneers. "Didn't you kill enough of your own kids yesterday? Can we have a moment to breathe, and maybe, I don't know. KILL EACH OTHER LIKE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO!?"

The ground stops shaking, and we all look at Wyatt in shock and confused.

"What kind of voodoo shit are you into?" I ask looking at him weird.

Ava starts laughing. For the first time since yesterday, you see the old her. Her that lit up the room when everyone was sad, or the one who made it hard to be mad. Don't get me wrong, she's going to have to die, all of these people are. Someone like Ava, though, you can't really keep thinking of that way, though.

"I'm glad you find us dying so funny." says Julian very matter of factly as he begins to stand up from the fetal position.

Ava stands up and then looks at us wide-eyed and afraid. We are all confused, but when we turn around it makes perfect sense. Giant worms the size of trees are slithering towards us at a lightning fast speed. We stand in fear as the worms inch closer and closer. When they get close enough for us to start making out features, the first thing I notice is the rows of teeth. The teeth stretch all across the mouth in four sharp rows, they also spin in the mouth.

"That looks pleasant." I say turning and running away.

The rest of us are turning and sprinting away, as the worms get closer and closer. Running from them is probably pointless at this point. They're moving too fast, however, the survival instinct in me is kicking in. All I know that is whoever is about to die is about to die. They that person selected.

"Guys, I know I've been whiny and emotional the past day and a half, but I just really want to thank you for your help!" screams Ava as we're running.

"Shut up and run!" screams Wyatt.

We make it to the platform, and when we are about to start climbing, the worms close in. They circle around us like a lion stalking its prey and begin to open their mouth wide. We look at each other wide-eyed. Surely they wouldn't kill these many people at once. That would lead to a very short game, and would automatically propel this to the top 10.

Julian looks at all of us with a frantic expression. He starts breathing heavily, and then he runs over to the edge and attempts to jump over the worms, and what happens is brutal.

The worms lift up his mouth, right where Julian was going to be landing, and Julian fell into his mouth. The effects of it were like a blender. Gradually grinding him down. He screams in pain as he tries to jump out, but honestly, the only thing that would do is make his death drawn out. We all stand there in fear as he slowly starts to disappear as the worm continues to grind him. His cannon goes off right as his head goes in.

"Well that's not something we should try." says Wyatt.

"I taught them better than that." says a voice that sounds a lot like Huck's.

"Dad?" says Ava looking up at the sky.

"SHIT!" screams the voice of Huck as his voice goes off the monitor.

"Excuse me," says Wyatt. "Now that we know that you're freaking listening, can you do us a favor and let us do the killing ourselves? This mutt death is getting out of hand."

"Tributes, please refrain from communicating with the outside world." says a voice that sounds like the clown from the beginning of the games.

The worms then start to close in, and everyone is screaming. Then I notice something. They aren't going for me, I move and they don't respond. The rest of the group is in the center, and they're closing in with their mouths towards them.

I step to the side, and reach out and pull Ava with me. She screams as the worm closes in, but then relaxes as she realizes that they didn't respond. As the worms keep restricting, Ava and I were able to fall over one of their sides and begin climbing the platform. Wyatt and Honora stay in the center of the constriction, and I can't tell who the worms are responding to.

"This is so scary. We are already dwindled down to four. If one of them dies no one in our group stands a chance." says Ava.

"They have no effect on us." I respond

"Us?"

"We are obviously going to have to stay a team Ava." I say.

She nods quickly. I think she is embarrassed. She's always had a male attention, and Joseph always did everything for her. I can't imagine the identity crisis she is feeling right now.

"Ah!" screams Wyatt.

We look down, and Wyatt has fallen over the side of the worms. Honora stands in the middle of the worms as she looks with a look of understanding. She nods her head and takes a deep breath.

"You want to play? We can play." she says.

She pulls out a knife, and Wyatt throws her his sword as she sits in the middle of the worms that are launching at her. She's amazing. I was always scared of her, but watching her right now, I'm kind of rooting for the worms. She takes the sword and straight rams it into one of the worms head. It sinks back into the ground as dirt, and then the other 3 swarm her. She had no chance as soon as one got to her foot. She screamed in pain as they ate her lower half, and then run away.

Ava and I zoom down the platform on the cart as Honora and Wyatt lie there on the ground. Her face is pale, and she's fading fast. She has a look of knowledge on her face. Honora isn't a stupid girl, she knows that she is about to die.

"I guess we can't win them all, huh?" she says as soon as we get there.

Ava falls to her knees and puts Honora's head on her lap. She grabs her hand, and Honora closes her eyes.

"I want you guys to know…" she says. "I know…" she breathes heavy. "I know I'm a bitch. You guys have made this worth it though…" she says. "One of you assholes better win." she says as her breaths start to increase rapidly.

Blood is lying everywhere, and I'm currently drenched in it.

"Bye." she says with a weak voice as she relaxes her face one last time, and her eyes glaze over.

Nobody moves. What do you do when your biggest competition to win the games is not in the games anymore? Honora was such a presence. She wasn't someone that we thought would die. I fully expected her to be with me in the final 2.

A package falls from the sky and lands next to me. I open it up to see three pairs of sweatpants and t-shirts. One is pink, one is red, and one is black. I hand them out to each of the rest of the Frat alliance and then see a note at the bottom.

 _Rachel gave us the okay us leaving y'all be for now. We need to see some action kid._

 _By the way, that wasn't us. Rachel had Kat, Keanu, and Ellie pick someone to die._

 _Love you,_

 _Mom._

"Well." I say handing the letter around. "This just got interesting."

"Time for a hunt." says Ava with pursed lips.

"Princess, you sure you wanna damage your perfect rep?" ask Wyatt snarky.

"This is personal now." she says getting up and heading to the platform to change.

* * *

 _I find it kind of funny,_

 _I find it kinda sad._

 _The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had._

* * *

 **Artemis Merone, 18**

 **District 2 Female**

Two cannons back to back is never a really good sign if I'm honest. It means we are boring, and I mean, we are kind of if you think about it.

We've yet to see another tribute group. We haven't exactly been looking. Something about sticking my sword into people I've known my whole life just isn't as appealing as it used to be. In my old games, all I had to worry about was my District partner. Odds were, though, I wouldn't have even had to kill him. Now I have to worry about offing my brother or sister.

"This is a little awkward now." says Vera. "The group is getting smaller and smaller."

The carnival game section in the arena is exactly how you thought it would be. Creepy as hell. Old run down games is scattered everywhere. Tattered canvas coverings over them. The worst part is the people running the Carnival look like mummies. They just stand there. They don't talk or move.

"It is, soon we'll have to separate." says Carmen sadly.

It's weird to think these girls I've conspired with the past two years are girls that will be dead soon. Vera is so full of life and cheer. Carmen so full of angst and rage. It's nice to have them around, and the fact that I can call these two girls actual friends terrifies me.

I'm not exactly a warm personality. People don't normally consider me someone they want to cozy on up to. So for the fact that both of them, and even Edith for that matter, stuck around for as long as they have means the world to me.

I find myself feeling loyal to these girls, and I'll even go as far to say that it's a dangerous loyalty. Loyalty is dumb. It's not for the faint hearted.

"Do you hear that?" ask Vera

Coming down the main road we hear voices. A number of them actually. They're not bothering to hide their noise, so they can't possibly be the small group from Iris' family. This has to be the big group that isn't the frat.

"Caius, we should be quiet." says Hazel as she comes into view with the rest of the group.

"Being quiet is bothersome. This whole game is bothersome." says Caius. "I don't want to do it anymore." he says.

"Well, could you at least be quiet so someone doesn't come and confront us?" ask Jade in an annoyed voice.

I look to Carmen and Vera, there are five of them, and 3 of us. Could we really take them? Our best bet is probably to stay quiet and let them walk by. This is the Hunger Games, though, and far too many have fallen due to mutt deaths, so I don't see us letting them walk by ending well for us.

"Either way we're screwed." I say looking at both girls.

Carmen merely shrugs her shoulders as she comes out of the tent we were hiding behind. Vera and I are quick to follow her as she stands strong, almost like a warrior princess.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." says Sylvia.

"Sylvia, you realize the only reason you're relevant is because you won the rankings last minute right? I didn't even know your name until then." says Carmen with a smirk.

"Good one." she says. "Those your last words?" she asks Carmen as she holds up a knife in her general direction.

"Do we have to fight?" says Caius. "This is troublesome."

We all stand still. This is the first alliance our group has yet to run into, it's a little complicated on how to handle it. Will we look like a jerk if we strike first? Will they turn around and walk away, and let the mutts do their job?

"Well, I guess since you're not moving." says Caius as he gets up and walks over to the middle of the space between the two groups. "Let's go." he says egging us on. He holds his spear perched and ready for a brawl.

No one on my side has fought Caius before. We don't know his strengths or weaknesses. Vera grabs the sword out of my hand and steps into the middle. She has a determined look on her face, that I've yet to see on her before.

Caius is the first to make his move and jabs the spear into the air near Vera. She quickly sidesteps it and slams the sword down on top of the spear. The sound of metal hitting wood is all that is heard. Caius takes his spear again and lunges it Vera with it. She grabs the stick and pulls it towards her. Caius steps back, not wanting to get too close to Vera without his weapon.

Vera uses the awkward position that he is in and sweeps a kick at his ankle. He falls to the ground, but then I'm also on the ground.

"Hello, Arty." says Sylvia as she sits on top of my with a knife in her hand. She is tracing the outline of my lips with her knife, when all of the sudden I have a face full of a blood. Sylvia begins to slump down as I see Carmen standing over her. One of the tomahawks we got from the bloodbath is sticking out of her head.

"Honestly, you'd think that they'd be smart enough to at least try and take on both of us." says Carmen as Sylvia's cannon sounds.

A scream makes everyone turn and look at the middle of the space. Jade, Sashen, and Hazel are backed up against a wall. Jade has a look of fury in her eyes as she sees her best friend lying dead on the floor. She is trying to run at us, but Hazel is pulling her back.

"You're bound to make more mistakes. Don't do this while you're upset." says Hazel.

Caius and Vera are still in the heat of battle, and Sashen is trying to coax him into running away from it.

"Caius, you don't have anything to prove!" she keeps saying over and over again.

Caius again tries to ram his sword into Vera, which she sidesteps again. He stumbles over himself a little bit, and Vera takes the opportunity to ramp a sword into his head. Caius falls to the ground, and then his cannon sounds.

Sashen, Jade, and Hazel turn and sprint away from where we are. Here I thought we were going to have some fun.

Vera returns back to us looking triumphant but hurt. She's walking with a limp, and I notice that Caius stuck her in the leg.

"He was very close to a major artery, Vera." I say shocked.

"I think that was his plan." she responds as she fights off tears that are welling up.

A package flies from the sky and it lands on the ground. It's a small silver container, and when we open it up it contains a single pill.

 _Eat this, V_

 _Xoxo A fan_

Vera places the tablet in her mouth and swallows. She looks around at us for several minutes, and then suddenly she starts to scream out in pain. We are trying to figure out what's wrong when we notice that the hole in her leg is closing. Skin is stretching across her thigh.

When the hole is fully closed she relaxes a little bit and breathes.

"Well, that was inherently annoying, and at the same time wonderful." she says.

* * *

 _Mother said straight ahead_

 _Not to delay or be misled._

 _I should have heeded her advice._

* * *

 **Jade VanBelle, 18**

 **Capitol Female Tribute**

I'm fuming. How could this happen?!

There was so much death today. Four cannons shot off. One of them belonging to my best friend. I didn't even stay and fight. I just stood there like a little bitch.

We arrive where the carousel used to be, and I am a mix of anger and confused right now.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THE UGLY ASS CAROUSEL." I say as I throw my fist in the air, and begin to flail my body.

Why is this so hard. Everything is wrong. How could they do this to us?! HOW COULD THEY?!

In the midst of my temper tantrum, the carousel begins to appear back in sight. A clear glass tube hosting Keanu, Kat, and Ellie appears on the ground. We have an awkward stare down, and I look at Hazel.

"Hand me your knife. I'm in the mood." I say.

The carousel finally locks into its base, and door to the carousel opens. Katarina, Keanu, and Ellie all stand there poised and ready to fight.

"Hasn't there been enough bloodshed today?"

"They want fights?" I say. "We might as well give it to them. I'm tired of being helpless. I'm ready to get out of here."

"Hazel grabs hold of her machete and braces herself for a fight. As well as Sashen. Keanu is the first tribute to respond and he runs at me. We collide with metal, and he kicks me in the stomach. I fall down, and he gets on top of me. I look over to my right and see Hazel is on top of Ellie, and Sashen is fighting Katarina.

"You still have a chance to walk away." says Keanu.

"Not a chance." I say as I kick him off. We circle each other, and I watch as Hazel shoves her machete into Ellie's stomach. Sashen and Katarina pause, and Kat runs over to Ellie. She falls to the ground, as Hazel and Sashen back away.

"Go on." I say. "I'll meet u-"

The sword makes contact with my chest, and I fall to the ground taking in a sharp breath of air. Sashen and Hazel try to run at towards me, but my last words to them are, "run."

Ellie's cannon goes off, and the last thing I see is Katarina walking over to my body and raising her boot high into the air over my face.

 **This chapter had more death than I was anticipating. Don't write Hunger Games when you're mad.**

 **Alliance Update:**

 **Frat/Srat- Ava/Ares/Wyatt**

 **Numb- Hazel/Sashen**

 **PowerPuff Girl- Vera/Carmen/Artemis**

 **Vixens- Katarina/Keanu**

 **Congrats to my top 10.**

 **Eulogies**

 **16th Place: Julian Octavian Maximus (Killed by worm mutt)- Julian was one of those characters that I wanted to have a deeper meaning for, but I just couldn't find it. I wanted him to go far, and I just couldn't find the place that he would fit in. I'm sorry Misty. He was fun.**

 **15th Place: Honora Cashmere Flloyd(Killed by Worm Mutt/Indirectly Kat/Ellie/Keau)- Cloe, I'm so sorry that Honora died. When I got her form, and when I started arcing, she was always going to get 15th. There was no way around it. Honora was the strongest tribute I got, but I was scared that if I made her go super far she would be considered a sue, and I didn't want that for her. I'm sorry friend.**

 **14th Place: Sylvia Hadley (Killed by Carmen Diego)- Megan, I'm sorry friend. This came down to the simple fact of reviewing/reading. I love Sylvia. You know I do. She also technically won Journey to the Top. Her winning here would be weird IMO…**

 **13th Place: Caius Sevara (Killed by Vera Naylor)- Ansley, this honestly pisses me off. Caius was my victor since I got his form. He was so cool from the tributes that you sent before. People were mad because I didn't have any boy victors, and Caius was my perfect solution. The problem is the fact you didn't review, and when you did review you said the story bored you. You're my pal, and I appreciate you man, but I don't want to keep someone in the story that is bored with it. He was a good character. Thanks for sending him in.**

 **12th Place: Ellie Zwiegle (Killed by Hazel Patch)- Haley, boo, I'm sorry. I was upset and got a little carried away writing the deaths...Ellie was always planned for twelfth. I just wasn't planning on getting here for another couple of chapters, but honestly, things are a bit rushed due to my current travel situations. Thanks for subbing to me after a long period of not subbing. It hasn't gone unnoticed, and I really appreciate you, friend.**

 **11th Place: Jade VanBelle (Killed by Keanu Hargrave)- Jenna bae, I'm so sorry that I killed Jade. She wasn't a victor, though. I think we both knew that. She was impulsive, and egotistic, and hella funny. She wasn't a victor, though. I appreciate your support of all my writing from the beginning. Best friend I could ask for.**

 **Well, that's my chapter. Sorry if you hate me now. My other stories are more spaced out, but I'm on a time crunch I wasn't aware I was going to be on when I started the story. I expect this story to go on for 25 chapters.**

 **Submit to Thunder and Lightning. Jenna and I are starting when I get back, and it's gonna be GREAT!**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	21. The Final 4

**This will be another death heavy chapter. We have 14 days ladies and gentlemen.**

 **Please also see A/N at the bottom for an important announcement.**

* * *

 _Day turns to day, turns to day,_

 _Turns to day turns to day._

 _I'm a little bit older_

 _A little bit wiser_

 _A little bit better_

 _A little bit._

* * *

 **Katarina Morellee, 18**

 **District 5 Female**

There are people that you don't mess with. I happen to be one of those people. Not only am I a badass bitch extraordinaire, but I get what I want. I don't settle for less, I don't settle for almost, I don't settle for close enough. I get what I want.

What I want is Hazel's head on a spike.

She killed my best friend. My friend that I've had since I was literally born. The perfect person to use, and be my confidant. She was the only person who really stuck by me. I told her everything. I kept her close, because if I didn't she would have strayed, and someone else would have taken advantage of her.

"You okay?" ask Keanu.

"Do I look okay, Keanu?" I ask. "My best friend died yesterday. Stabbed through the chest by that bitch, Hazel. Now it's time for us to get her back."

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"I mean it's time for us to crack down, and do what we were trained to do," I say

I grab my machete and I walk away through the corn maze. It's a funny thing seeking vengeance. Deep down I know I won't solve anything by killing Hazel, well, other than making me closer to the end. What is the absolute worst, though, is that she has the no feeling thing. If Hazel were to escape this arena, Hazel would literally feel nothing. She would feel no remorse. She would feel no sadness for the fallen tributes. I refuse to let her leave this carnival.

"I used to love carnivals." says Keanu walking behind me.

"They were never really my thing," I say continuing through the forest.

"Why are you always so serious? Like I understand why you are right now, you know, with Ellie. Why when you were like that when we were kids?"

"Is this suddenly question hour?!" I say turning to him. "Is this that moment where I pour out my heart to you and let you know all about the confusing girl that is Katarina Morellee?"

"Look," he says defensively. "There isn't a reason to be rude, Kat. I'm trying to help here."

I'm overwhelmed. This doesn't happen often, and it's not something that I admit to often, but I'm overwhelmed. I can't believe this is what I've come to. Fighting back tears, and talking to my brother about our dead sister in the Hunger Games.

"Look, I'm not trying to be snappy," I say staring at him. "I just really have to be strong right now. Because if I'm not strong, then I'm going to fall apart, and I can't afford that right now, Keanu, I just can't."

He wraps me in a hug, and I fall into the ground weeping. This would be a perfect time. Me weeping on the ground in his arms, him with a knife in the back. Quick and easy, and strangely enough I would be okay with it. I don't care anymore. This game has taken a toll on me as a whole. The entire time I've been trying to be better than last time, think smarter than last time, outplay people like last time. The stakes are so high when you gamble with your own life.

"You'll be okay." he says.

I pull away and wipe my eyes. The fact that I'm not dead proves to me that Keanu is trustworthy. Or at least he's trustworthy for now. He needs me as much as I need him in this games.

It's hard to believe that only four days ago we entered this death trap of an arena, and we went from 26 to 10 in just three short days. Honora was a huge shock yesterday. I was expecting the mutts to turn on us rather than picking her, but sure enough, we saw her. Ground into little bits on the floor.

"Come on," I say as we're walking towards the corn maze.

"Where are we going?" he asks.

"We have a date with that bitch, Hazel," I say.

* * *

 _I see fire, inside the mountains._

 _I see fire, burning the trees._

 _I see fire, hollowing souls._

 _I see fire, blood in the breeze._

* * *

 **Hazel Patch, 18**

 **District 8 Female**

I miss toilets.

I know out of all of the things to miss about home, that toilets are a weird one to miss, but I can't help it. It's not as easy to pee in the outdoors as guys. We have to squat, and then pray that the leaf we are wiping with isn't a poison ivy plant.

"This is very real," says Sashen

"What is?"

She flips over a corn on the cob she has been cooking over the fire.

"All of this death. I have a feeling that we haven't seen the end of it."

"What's it like to feel?"

I've never asked this question to anyone. This has always been something I've seen as an advantage going into the games. Seeing the look of sadness that the other tributes have due to their fallen comrades, is too much for me. I don't feel overwhelmed, due to the fact I'm incapable of feeling. I do want to experience some sorrow, though. I think it's the least I can do for my fallen siblings.

"You're lucky that you don't know." says Sashen putting the corn to her mouth and eating it.

Everyone has always said that since I was a kid. "Hazel is so lucky that she doesn't have to feel the bad things." What about the good things though? Like love, or joy, fun even. I started to learn to fake laugh as I grew older so people wouldn't look at me weird.

I'll never know what it's like to love someone like Joseph and Ava knew. I'll never know true friendship like Kat and Ellie. I'll never know what it feels like to be happy, because of this stupid disorder in my brain. Sometimes I wonder why they chose me to bring back. Were they expecting some robot bloodthirsty tribute that is out to kill everyone in sight? Instead, they got me. Simple Hazel, who instead of killing everything in sight, she merely fights when needed.

I must be the biggest casting let down ever.

"I need to pee," I say getting up and heading to the designated waste part of the maze.

I walk over to the corn that we have deemed unacceptable to continue living and begin to pee.

When I'm about halfway done, I begin to hear voices coming from the corn maze.

"We can't kill her with her pants around her ankles!" says a male voice who I'm assuming is Keanu.

"Why to give her a chance to strike back?" says a female voice belonging to Kat.

Why these two are fighting it gives me more time to actually get my pants up. I stand up and walk over to where they are and see them intently whispering to each other. When they see me standing in front of them, they immediately strike into action. Kat reaches for a knife and tries to slice at me, while Keanu lunges his spear at me.

I somehow manage to dodge both of them with nothing more than a cut on my thigh, when Kat comes around and backhands me. I fall to the ground, and watch as they stand over me. Both looking guilty, but sinister all at the same time.

Kat grabs Keanu's spear, and just as she is about to kill me Sashen tackles her to the ground, and the two begin to fight.

"I'm. So. Sick. Of. My. Allies. Dying." says Sashen between punches to Katarina's face.

Before I have time to get up Keanu stomps on my chest causing the air to leave my lungs. I struggle to find breath as he mounts me and begins to choke me. My lungs burn as I struggle to fight off the monster that is on top of me, but my body grows weaker and weaker as I punch and flail.

I look over and see Sashen stabbing Katarina in the neck with the knife Kat once tried to stab me with. Katarina's cannon goes off, but before Sashen has time to make it over to help me the world starts going black. She tackles Keanu, but the damage is already done, and I know that he's crushed my windpipe.

The air is not coming in, and even though I should be able to breathe, without proper procedure, I know I'm a goner. I watch as a Keanu and Sashen struggle fighting one another. The last thing I see before everything goes black is Keanu banging Sashen's head against the ground over and over again. I hear her cannon before I fade away.

* * *

 _Like a small boat,_

 _On the ocean._

 _Sending big waves, into motion._

 _Like how a single word, can make a heart open._

 _I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion._

* * *

 **Ava Willows, 18**

 **District 3 Female**

Holy crap, three cannons already today. I'm officially in the top 7 of the games. How did I make it this far? Who would have thought that the little girl from District 3 would make it into the top 7? Wyatt, Ares, and I are all busy trying to track down that group of three girls. They are the ones that have the biggest threat of making it to the final 3.

"They should be here in the games section," says Wyatt. "I'm almost positive this is where Caius died."

"Aren't you at all curious as to who just died?"

"Money is on Hazel and Keanu," says Ares as he opens up a curtain to a tent. The girls aren't there, but I'm kind of glad. I'm not really looking for a fight.

Wyatt and Ares split up walking down the line and open up tents one by one. These girls are smarter than that. They wouldn't hide somewhere that people would look right away. They'll be somewhere where people wouldn't think to look.

My eyes scan the area surrounding the field. I see booths, crates, tents, and a prize booth. In the prize booth is multiple stuffed animals that are big enough to hide between if you're a small person.

 _They're all small._

I nudge at Wyatt who responds very harshly as he turns to me and glares.

"What?"

I point at the animals and he nods. He and Ares walk over to the animals and start moving them, and then out of nowhere Carmen jumps out with a knife. She tackles Wyatt, and they begin to struggle. Wyatt is clearly stronger, but Wyatt isn't as fast as Carmen is. She's agile and flexible.

While Carmen and Wyatt are struggling, Artemis jumps out. Ares was ready for her, and he stabs her in the stomach. She clutches her stomach, and then falls down. Her cannon sounds and her eyes look so defeated.

Vera has still yet to come out of the animals, so Ares and I start moving them around. We move all of the animals, and still no Vera. Once we get to the last one, Ares and I are bracing for a fight. When we move the animal, there is still no sign of Vera.

"Where is she?" I mutter under my breath.

I hear Camen scream as a cannon goes off, and see Wyatt standing over her with a grin on his face. What I also see is Vera sneaking up behind him with a machete in hand. Before we can warn Wyatt she has it raised above her head bring it down towards the back of his head. We scream and Wyatt glances over right as the machete makes an impact with his head.

His cannon is deafening.

Vera turns back to us and looks ready to fight the arena starts to shake. The walls start to fall, and we are suddenly staring at a plain black space. We can't see anything, including each other. I feel a smooth glass like surface surround me, and then the ground underneath me starts to move.

A single overhead light appears over my head, and I see that the other remaining houseguest in the final four has a spotlight over theirs as well. Keanu pounds on the glass and calls out to no answer.

"Hello?" I call out.

"TRIBUTES!" says the clown voice that greeted us at the beginning of the games. "We would like to congratulate you on obtaining a spot in the final 4. Get ready for a showdown, because we are in the finale!"

Joseph would be so proud of me. I made it to the finale. We would always talk about what would happen if one of us ever made it to the finale. I will win this. I will make it home, and honor his memory.

"Tributes when the countdown ends, you will start the epic showdown! May the odds be ever in your favor!"

60 seconds appear on the clock.

* * *

 _We can't stop now._

 _There's too much at stake._

 _This is serious._

 _Don't walk away._

* * *

 **Obsidian Blackwell, 45**

 **Political Rebel**

Why the tributes are having their own finale, I will get mine.

22 trained assassins are at my beck and call ready to invade the presidential mansion on my mark. These assassins have been with my cause since the beginning. Loyal through and through to the Snows and everything we stood for.

"We strike tonight," says Caridee more of a statement than asking a question. "I've been tired of listening to that bitch since the day we started this whole charade."

"Yes. Tonight we strike." I say.

I gather my faithful men and women who have dedicated their lives to seeing my family regain their natural spot on the throne of Panem.

"My friends," I say standing in the center of the group. "Tonight is a war that ends all wars!"

They shout in agreement and throw their fist in the air.

"Tonight, we will bring back the power to the people deserving of it! We will bring the power back to the Snows. Back to the family that put the great nation of Panem on the map!"

"YES!" they all scream.

"Your support will be rewarded, and we will remember you when we return to our power. The fallen will die heroes to the cause. You are Panem!"

"YES!" they scream.

We gather around the television and watch as the four tributes have ten seconds left on the timer.

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Lights, camera, action,

 **I have such an exciting ending that you won't see coming. I'm very very excited for it. Expect this story to be done, hopefully by the end of this weekend.**

 **As for who my victor is, I've decided that by the poll votes. The poll has 11 out of the 15 average readers voted already, so I locked in those numbers and killed the rest of the tributes that had the lowest placements. Choosing a victor is hard because honestly any of these tributes can win and I'd be okay with it. I've locked the poll.**

 **Eulogies**

 **10th Place: Katarina Morellee (Killed by Sashen Blaize)- Katarina was such a BEAUTIFUL character. I loved getting to experience her, and understanding her motivations, and ambitions on a different level. She was manipulative and smart, but she was also insecure and had deeper motivations behind her mean girl persona. I was surprised that she had no votes on the poll at all. Metallic thank you for submitting such an interesting character to a district that I never really take seriously.**

 **9th Place: Sashen Blaize (Killed by Keanu Hargrave)- Aaron, I'm sorry. I truly am. Sashen was adorable, and then fiery and for a period of time, I thought she was going to win in my head after I killed Caius. She didn't have the poll votes to make it, though. She was a wonderful character, and I truly appreciate you subbing her to me. Thank you for faithfully reading as well. It means a lot bud.**

 **8th Place: Hazel Patch (Died of suffocation (Indirectly killed by Keanu Hargrave))- Stella, I'm sorry as well. Hazel was great. She was interesting and something that I've never seen before. She died merely for the fact of poll votes. I hope you don't hate me.**

 **7th Place: Artemis Merone (Killed by Ares Styx)- Chip, thank you for subbing Artemis. I won't lie to you. I was not a fan of her at all in Glass Glade, and throughout the story, she was planned as a bloodbath. Then I saw some actual potential and suddenly everything kind of clicked. She died here due to being tied in the polls, and me pulling names out of a hat.**

 **6th Place: Carmen Diego (Killed by Wyatt Lane)- Carmen was another tribute that surprised me and took me by storm. I planned for her to be a bloodbath as well. After writing her first POV, though, I grew to love her character. Thank you for subbing her to me Mystical. She was great.**

 **5th Place: Wyatt Lane (Killed by Vera Naylor)- Wyatt was incredible. So cocky and arrogant. SO much fun to write. Wyatt was a victim of pulling names out of a hat. His poll votes were tied, and Jenna wrote names in a hat and dropped them in. I picked, and his was the last name I drew. Sorry that your tribute died Gray. I hope you don't hate me.**

 **If your tribute made it to the top 10, I loved them to bits. I hope that you'll submit to Thunder and Lightning so I can write for another one of yall brilliant brainchildren.**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


	22. I See Fire

**Well, we are here. I feel like when I started this story I had no idea where I was going with it. It's been a bumpy road, and I'm almost sad to see it go, but I told you I would finish it by the time I left, and if I make a promise I try and hold to it.**

 **Here we go, remember poll votes. (They'll be available for view after I post this.)**

* * *

 _Gonna shout it from the mountain tops_

 _A star is born_

 _Time for pulling out the stops._

 _A star is born_

* * *

 **Ares Styx, 18**

 **District 12 Male**

The glass tube that was holding us in drops, and the field that we are standing on lights up. The area around us is still black, but the floor is outlined with white lights. In the center of the field is a giant platform, and on top of the platform looks to be weapons.

I don't plan on letting anyone get to the point where they'll need them.

I sprint, and the first thing I do is head for Keanu. If I can take him out, then the process of taking the other two out will be easy. I'm almost home.

Keanu is running towards the platform, and he seemed to have the same idea as me. When I get closer to him, he dead stops, and somehow I'm in front of him running rather than behind him. He doesn't strike. He just keeps his pace at a nice jog.

Ava and Vera are staying towards the outskirts of the action. I don't know if they're expecting me to forget about them, and allow them the victory, but that's not happening.

I didn't train my whole life to lose now. I didn't train my whole life to get brought back for a second go at this and then lose.

Keanu is standing on the outskirts of the other side of the platform. I begin to climb the steps but stop dead in my tracks.

 _What if this is a plan?_

What if this is a mutt, and the minute someone gets to the top they fall into some vortex that kills you instantly, or a giant mutt worm comes out from the bottom and grinds me to bits, or even the birds fly by and peck my eyes out.

Surely, they wouldn't make getting a weapon that easy.

"You okay, Styx?" calls Keanu from the other side.

"This isn't right. Something is wrong." I say.

As if on cue the platform begins to sink to the ground, suddenly a huge hole is beginning to form on the floor surrounding it. I'm stuck, and there is no way for me to get out of the hole. As the platform begins to sink, it gets colder and colder. I look over the edge of the platform and notice that there is no way to jump back. Keanu is staring down at me as the platform begins to sink, and I run up to the top of the platform and reach my hand up.

"Dude!" I scream. "Help me!"

He doesn't change his expression as he watches me from atop his position. On the other side of the platform, I notice Vera creep up and watch as I sink. Black sluggish hands reach out from the abyss that I'm falling into and grab ahold of my body, pulling me down into what I assume is darkness.

"No!" I scream. "I was going to win! I can't die here! I can't."

The black hands continue to pull me into the cold nothingness as my head sinks below the surface. I can't breathe anymore.

 _You failed twice, Ares._

I look up, and suddenly in the darkness I see a light. My sister Nike is standing before me, and her hand is outstretched.

"It's okay," she says. "Let go."

I reach out and grab her hand desperate to get away from the cold hands that surround me. You can't see any faces. All you see is hands. As my hand reaches and grabs Nike's, the feeling is warm and inviting. Suddenly I can breathe again, and let in a thick breath of air.

Nike pulls me from the darkness, and we walk home together.

* * *

 _Honey hit us with a hallelu_

 _The kid came shining through_

 _Girl sang the song_

 _Come blow your horn._

 _A star is born._

* * *

 **Keanu Hargrave, 18**

 **District 11 Male**

"That was brutal," says Vera from the other side of the long pit Ares just fell into.

"It was," I respond.

"Who would have thought that the two kids from District 11 would be in the last 3?" she asks me from across the pit unmoving still.

"I had no doubts I would be he-" wait a minute. "Where is Ava?"

I turn around and see the girl from District 3 sneaking behind me with a knife that I'm assuming she had on her from the start of all this. She looks wide-eyed as I see her, and then looks to Vera for help who begins to make her way around the pit.

"So this is how it's going to be?" I ask. "Two against one?"

"Nothing personal, Kid," says Ava as she relaxes a bit once Vera gets closer. "Just acknowledging the fact you'd beat either one of us in the end."

The two girls each hold a knife, and me being the idiot that I am, dropped mine in the fight with Sashen. This fight is going to be rough, but I can still take them. Ava doesn't know what she's doing, and Vera is still trying to find confidence in who she is. I think I can stir up enough doubt in her to make her realize that she can't beat me regardless of the number advantage.

"Vera, do you really think you can win?" I ask her. "There is no way you can beat me."

"I've made it this far." she said determinedly.

"Ava, you have no shot anyways, so I won't even acknowledge you," I say.

She looks hurt as the comment probably stings, but I don't care. It's not something that I care about at this point. In a matter of minutes, Ava will be dead, Vera will be dead, their opinions, their feelings, their emotions won't matter. All this is is a means to an end. I will destroy anyone who gets in my way when I'm so close to victory.

 _I will not get third place again._

They stand there awkwardly, and clearly waiting for a moment to strike, when finally I just jump towards Vera, as out of the two she is the biggest threat. I knock her down and begin to choke her out, and she is struggling under the weight of my body mass. I'm careful to make sure that Ava isn't sneaking up behind me with that knife and am ready to swing at her if needed when Ava surprises me.

She throws the knife, and even more surprisingly, she hits me in my shoulder blade.

I wince in pain as the knife is going through the bone. I have no idea how Ava threw it that hard, but it hurts.

I get off of Vera and roll over to my side as Ava runs over to me, and begins to straddle me. She puts her hands over my throat and starts to squeeze.

"Let's see how you like being choked, Keanu." she says angrily.

I hear Vera breathing heavy attempts to regain her breath, and start to look around at my options. We are about 5 feet away from the pit. If I can get my body to move, I can fling Ava into it.

I begin to struggle with getting my legs under Ava's stomach. Vera is still trying to catch her breath, and the knife in my shoulder hurts like nothing I've ever encountered before. When one leg is under her stomach, I kick, and she winces as she falls to the side. I get up and rip the knife out of my shoulder and let out a massive scream. Ava is backing away as I walk over to her.

She is backing up, and the more she moves the closer she gets towards the pit. I smile as I walk over to her, teeth still clenched from the pain I feel on my shoulder, and lift my foot above her.

"Enjoy the fall, Ava," I say as I kick her in the stomach and she falls over the edge. She topples into the pit screaming, and I never hear a landing. I notice that I also don't hear Vera breathing heavy anymore. Turning around I see her standing up, and determined look on her face.

"I guess it's game over," I say with a grin as I walk towards her. She backs away, and I can tell that she is scared.

"I wouldn't say that." she says.

"I would."

I run towards her and tackle her to the ground, and begin to choke her. "I believe that we left off on a certain part of this, Vera," I say as I continue to squeeze her neck. Her eyes widen as she realizes that she has very little room for error right now, and my shoulder is on fire from squeezing her neck.

I feel something pointy go into my stab wound on my shoulder, and I realize that it's Vera's finger. I scream as I feel her digging around in the wound, and fall over to my side. Vera jumps up, and grabs the knife out of her pocket and stabs the front of both of my shoulders. She does the same to my legs, and I'm not able to move any of my body.

"Now that you're settled, I wanted to let you know something, Keanu."

"And what's that?" I ask feeling angry and cheated.

"You lose."

She stabs me in my neck, and the blood begins to pour out. I watch as she gets up and backs away quickly, just in case I magically am able to move or get a surge of energy that can somehow kill her before I die.

I am defeated.

I was so close. So close to winning everything I was cheated out of the first time. Now that the blood is draining out of my body, and I'm dying, yet again. Everything just seems so...peaceful.

"Rest in peace, Keanu." says Vera as my eyes start to glaze over.

"Panem, join me in congratulating your Victor for this year's Hunger Games, Vera Naylor!"

Lights out.

* * *

 _These things will change._

 _I can see it now._

 _The walls that they put up to hold us back,_

 _Fell down._

 _This revolution, the time will come for things to never be the same._

* * *

 **Vera Naylor, 18**

 **Victor of the Hunger Games**

I awake to the sound of an alarm blaring. There is a dark object covering my eyes from being able to see, and suddenly it's removed and I'm staring at President Callowgwey. She looks frantic and nervous and begins pushing various buttons.

The next thing that I notice is that I'm surrounded by a green liquid, it begins to drain from a tube that holds my entire body from my neck down. Once it drains, I realize that I'm not wet, which is weird, and interesting all at the same time.

"We don't have a lot of time," says Rachel. "I have a lot to explain and need you to listen carefully."

"Okay.." I say. I'm still confused on what happened during the games. I remember that I stabbed Keanu, and I'm assuming since I'm here, and he isn't, that he's dead. A sudden sadness fills my body as I realize that all 25 of my friends and siblings are dead.

"Follow me." she says throwing a pair of black sweatpants, and a white v-neck at me.

I begin to walk and put on clothes at the same time, which is harder than you think when you're just getting out of a tube of non-wet green liquid.

"Vera, you won the games, but you were never actually in the arena," says Rachel walking into another room. She walks over to the wall and flips open a tile that reveals, even more, buttons, and she begins to press various combinations of those.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. "I remember the carnival."

"Just wait." says Rachel.

She continues to press buttons when Chanel, Iris, Mackenzie, and Huckleberry enter the room. Upon seeing me mom's eyes light up, and she embraces me in a hug.

"I'm so proud of you." she says.

Our reunion is interrupted by Mackenzie Screaming.

I turn and see all twenty-five of the other tributes in the same green liquid that held me. They're wearing virtual reality helmets that we would train with in training. Rachel begins walking over to them and clicking a button the helmets. The alarm is still blaring, and I've started to hear screaming from the house.

"What the hell is going on, Rachel?" ask Chanel.

"The tributes were never actually in the arena. I thought that if I held another Hunger Games that it would make the country fear me enough that they would settle, but it didn't. My future didn't change, and Obsidian is still leading a rebellion to overthrow me. Which is what you're hearing right now. I let him think that he's been controlling what I've been doing with a leaf that he stuck in my tea one morning that had hypnotizing properties, but I never actually drank it before he started ordering me around." she crosses over and begins to press the drain button on the tubes holding the tributes, and I watch as the liquid begins to drain.

"Star and I didn't want you guys to have to deal with losing kids that you raised," says Rachel as she begins laying out sweats and t-shirts for the other tributes. "So we created this simulation to look like a real Hunger Games. We were able to tap into the tributes helmets, and broadcast onto the network what they were seeing-"

"Where is Star?" ask Mackenzie interrupting.

"She...she didn't make it." says Rachel as she frowns "There isn't time for mourning right now," she says putting on a brave face. I think she's telling herself more than she's telling me. "Obsidian is on his way now, and he's blown through all of the country's defenses. He won't stop until I'm dead. You guys have to get out of here." I say as the tributes begin to stir from their sleep.

"What is all of this?" I ask pointing at the tube.

"The green liquid sustained your body of nutrients, and cleansed the area around you when you used the bathroom in the arena. The helmet sent waves to your brain once you died in the arena that put you in a hibernation sleep." says Rachel as she pulls out a watch and puts it on mom's wrist. She begins pressing buttons, and before my eyes, mom transforms into what she looked like 18 years ago.

"I want to thank you guys for your service to me, and helping me achieve everything that I've wanted to accomplish." she says as she goes down the line and gives them their youth back. She gets in front of me and has a sympathetic look on her face. "Vera, I'm so sorry that you had to go through this."

I slap her in the face.

"Vera!" screams mom.

"No, I deserved that." says Rachel.

"I hate you," I say. "You let me believe that all of my siblings were dead. Raised me with the belief that I was either going to die or live when I turned 18. Made me have all kinds of trust issues because of the situation you put me in. You brought me back from the DEAD."

"I know," says Rachel. "And I'm sorry."

We start to hear footsteps approaching the lab, and Rachel begins to run to the door.

"I have to go. This there are fake identies in the file cabinet for each of you. I've arranged with Panem Australia to house you once Obsidian takes power. Instructions for how to get there are, and where to go from here are in your file, Chanel." she says as she begins to walk out of the door.

"Wait." says mom.

She runs over to Rachel and puts the watch on her wrist. She pushes various buttons, and Rachel's grey hair turns brown again. Her wrinkles smooth as she becomes a young woman.

"If you're going to go down, you at least need to be hot while doing it." says mom.

Rachel smiles as she wraps her in a hug, and then runs out of the doors right as Obsidian's men burst into the other room of the lab. The doors close and lock, and mom springs into action of waking the other tributes up.

Once everyone is all dressed and caught up, mom walks over to the side of the lab and presses three tiles at the same time. The wall opens, and a lighted pathway reveals a way out of the room.

"Let's go guys."

* * *

 _If this is to end in fire._

 _We should all burn together._

 _Watch the flames climb high, into the sky._

 _Calling out father oh, stand by and we will see_

 _Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side._

* * *

 **Rachel Callowgwey, 21**

 **President of Panem**

The men barge into the room, and Obsidian walks with his held high into the laboratory. My eyes shift to the room that holds all of tributes and parents, and see that the door was closed before they go in the room.

"Rachel, lovely evening isn't it?" ask Obsidian.

"It was." I say looking at him angrily.

"Now now," he says walking over and touching my face. "Don't be that way. Although I'm curious of something. How did you get beautiful again?" he ask.

I smile at him sarcastically.

"You think I'm pretty?" I say with my tone dripping in acid. He rolls his eyes and raises up his hands to his men. "Turn this place upside down until you find the time machine." he says.

Twenty minutes pass as they search the room for something they'll never find. It's with Chanel, and if I'm estimating correctly they should be halfway through the tunnel system by now. Once they realize that finding the watch is a blind man's mission, Obsidian orders the men to grab ahold of me, and they begin leading me through my house.

Trashed furniture, broken down doors, looted jewelry is all over the floor. They lead me to the elevator and I know they're taking me to the Presidential office. When we arrive in the hallway of Victors, surprisingly it's untouched. Vera should be in this room now.

Too bad she'll never get the chance.

Obsidian walks down the long hallway. A picture of each victor from all 300 years sits on the wall. When he gets to the 223rd games, and sees my picture he laughs as he grabs it, and rips it to shreds. Marissa's picture sticks out like a sore thumb as I walk by the 224th, and Addison's as well once I walk by the 225th.

We get into the office, and he has them sit me in the chair behind the desk. Caridee walks over to the couch and puts her feet up on the coffee table that is made from wood that is more expensive than the mountain of makeup she has caked on her face.

"Rachel, I'm sorry that it had to come to this." says Obsidian with his hand over his heart and making a fake sympathetic face.

"Better not to lie, Obsidian." I say. "We both know you're a prick."

He smiles as he pulls out a pistol and points it at me. "I've waited 18 long years for this Rachel. 18 years to take you out, and to put the Snow's back in power. You have no idea how good it feels to be in this room. To finally be able to kill you."

"Careful there." I say as I refuse to show the fear I'm feeling on the inside of my body on my face. 'You don't want to get overly excited." I say.

He smiles as he walks to the front of the desk and holds the pistol to my head. "Any last words?"

"Why do the bad guys always insist on making long ass speeches?"

We turn, and to my absolute shock, we see Chanel, Iris, Mackenzie, Huck, Vera, and the rest of the tributes standing in the doorway.

"Honestly, had you just shot her we wouldn't have had enough time to get here." says Chanel.

"GET THEM!" screams Caridee.

The men run towards them, and the tributes begin fighting.

I hear screams of pain, I hear taunting, I hear bones cracking. Everyone in this room is a trained killer, and most of the tributes are kicking ass.

I notice that Amandus is lying on the ground eyes wide open, as well as Jayanti. Those are the only two that I notice of ours that our down.

Obsidian tries to run out of the room, but I run after him and tackle him. He falls to the ground and the gun falls out of his hand. I grab it and point it at his head as she pouts on the ground.

"This isn't fair. You've never been good at running the country! You shouldn't be here! The Snows are the rightful rulers of this country, and all you are is some bitch that knew my great aunt! You're supposed to be dead!"

"And here I am," I say smirking as the gun is still pointing at his head.

I hear footsteps behind me, and see Caridee trying to sneak up on me. I turn and shoot her in the head, and then turn back to Obsidian. One by one the tributes and the parents walk out of the room. Bruised up and scarred as they won the fight. Julian is among the fallen I'm assuming by the fact he's not in the group.

"Vera, come here."

She walks over to me and I hand her the gun. She looks confused as she holds it in her hand, and then leans down to Obsidian while holding the pistol to his head.

"I hate Rachel." she says. "But I've always hated you too. The thing about the past Obsidian, is that it's in the past. You may have been the ruling family back in the day, but the thing is, every family has ghost they'd rather forget."

She pulls the trigger, and blood splatters the walls and all around us. I get up from the body and look around the room. The dead assassins are lying on the ground, as well as Jayanti, Julian, and Amandus.

Iris, Mackenzie, and Huck walk over to their kids that gave their life fighting for me yet again. I'm not a good person, but I did what I thought was best. I didn't mean for this to happen. Everything I did was for the prevention of this.

"What do we do now?" ask Mackenzie with tears in her eyes.

All three of them have lost their child twice. That's something I'll never know the burden of. I'll never know the burden that these tributes have gone through. I'll never be able to apologize enough for what I've done, but I've done it. And I have to deal with it.

"We handle the ghost of our past," I say turning and walking back towards the elevator.

 **Well, that's the end of the story. I'll be posting a epilogue explaining what happens to all the people in their futures hopefully by Sunday. If not, Monday.**

 **Eulogies**

 **4th Place: Ares Styx (Killed by Platform falling)- This was a victim of the poll votes again. I'm sorry he went out Apollo, thanks for subbing him again. It'll be weird not writing for a Styx kid in my next SYOT. Also thank you for being a loyal reader.**

 **3rd Place: Ava Willows (Killed by Keanu Hargrave)- Ava should have died sooner. The fact she didn't is on me, and I take responsibility for that. I felt I developed to much of her and Joseph though to kill both of them at the same time. Congrats to her submitter for making third.**

 **2nd Place: Keanu Hargrave (Killed by Vera Naylor)- Christian I want to thank you for subbing to this. It was incredible to write your tribute, and to hear your feedback, and even more fun to write this and share it with you. He made it here because his poll vote was second highest. You should be proud that your first tribute was a runner-up. Good job dude.**

 **Victor: Vera Naylor- Okay, so what the hell? She lead the poll with 5 votes to win, and I was confused as hell. Vera was supposed to be a bloodbath. The more I wrote her the more I got to see the development from little girl to woman. It was great seeing her as a underdog throughout the story. I'm proud of her oddly. She earned her win. She was voted to win. Congrats Emma.**

 **Poll results are on my profile for proof.**

 **What did you think?**

 **Hope you enjoyed the story.**

 **Stay tuned for the epilog.**

 **Keep it classy,**

 **Caleb**


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